Compensating group delay distortion of signals based on engineered material dispersion

Abstract

Dispersion, which originates from the total frequency responses of materials, devices and transmission lines, makes envelope distortion of signals inevitable in transmission systems. In this study, we investigate the group delay distortion of a signal due to the presence of dispersion in transmission systems, and propose an approach to eliminate the distortion by compensation based on engineered material dispersion. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that utilizing the anomalous frequency response of a dispersive material, envelope distortion of a signal passing through a given transmission system can be fully compensated. Compared with previous researches on dispersion compensation using grating compressors or chirp compressors in optics and non-Foster circuits in microwave bands, the proposed approach is robust and scalable to other frequency bands.