OFDM Systems for Optical Communication with Intensity Modulation and Direct Detection

Intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD) is a cost-effective optical communication strategy which finds wide applications in fiber communication, free-space optical communication, and indoor visible light communication. In IM/DD, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), originally employed in radio frequency communication, is considered as a strong candidate solution to combat with channel distortions. In this research, we investigate various potential OFDM forms that are suitable for IM/DD channel. We will elaborate the design principles of different OFDM transmitters and investigate different types of receivers including the proposed iterative receiver. In addition, we will analyze the spectral efficiency and decoding complexities of different OFDM systems to give a whole picture of their performance. Finally, simulation results are given to assess the detection performance of different receivers.