Bandwidth reduction technique for multilayer wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) bandpass filters

The push to develop 100 GHz and smaller bandwidth WDM filters is at demanding levels. Currently, 200 GHz is the standard bandwidth for multilayer interference coatings with high efficiencies, and enormous processing effort is going into the development of standard 100 GHz filters. This paper outlines a simple design that will reduce bandwidth up to 40% when applied to 200 GHz bandpass filters. This design method can also be used in existing 100 GHz designs to achieve even smaller bandwidths.     

Effect of stress on performance of dense wavelength division multiplexing filters: thermal properties

Thin-film filters used for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) applications are processed by a variety of deposition techniques, including ion-beam sputtering. Ion-beam sputtering produces high-quality coatings and provides flexibility of coating materials. However, DWDM filters consisting of oxide films that are reactively deposited by ion-beam sputtering, as in most sputter techniques, typically exhibit high levels of compressive stress. This affects the thermal characteristics of the filters. We have identified three thermal effects: center wavelength drift with temperature, center wavelength creep, and permanent center wavelength shift. The latter two are strongly dependent on the stress state of the filter. Models are presented that support the data that were taken.     

Effect of stress on performance of dense wavelength division multiplexing filters: optical properties

Thin-film filters used for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) applications are processed by a variety of deposition techniques, including ion-beam sputtering. Ion-beam sputtering produces high-quality coatings and provides flexibility of coating materials. However, DWDM filters consisting of oxide films that are reactively deposited by ion-beam sputtering, as in most sputter techniques, typically exhibit high levels of compressive stress. This affects the optical characteristics of the filters. Details of the filter passband characteristics and wave-front distortion illustrate the influence of the stress. Spatial variation of the stress on the filter surface causes the filter center wavelength to have spatial variation, and it causes the filter to have an asymmetric passband characteristic.     

Multichannel wavelength division multiplexing with photonic crystals

A multichannel wavelength-division-multiplexing system consisting of a two-dimensional photonic crystal is proposed. The system consists of two parts, a waveguiding element, realized by defects in a photonic crystal, and frequency-selective elements, realized by photonic crystal microcavities. Simulations, performed with a two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain technique with a perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary condition, showed the ability to filter an incident pulse into six spectral channels with a FWHM of 2 nm.     

Moderate-to-high optical-isolation reconfigurable 1 x 2 fiber-optic add-drop switches using a dense wavelength division multiplexing thin-film filter

We propose and experimentally demonstrate thin-film filter- (TF) based reconfigurable 1 x 2 fiber-optic add-drop switch (FADS) structures. Our key idea is to locate a movable mirror oriented at a desired angle near the TF to switch the desired wavelength optical beams to the wanted switching ports. Our first moderate-optical-isolation TF-based reconfigurable 1 x 2 FADS is in a transmissive design. Another TF-based reconfigurable 1 x 2 FADS structure is in a retroreflective configuration, and it gives a very low optical-coherent cross talk. Our experimental proof of concept using an off-the-shelf four-cavity TF measured center wavelength at 1,545.749 nm and a 0.8 mm x 0.8 mm x 0.15 mm movable mirror confirms a -19 dB and a much improved <-53 dB optical-coherent cross talk for our transmissive and retroreflective configurations, respectively.     

Wide-range tunable Fabry-Perot array filter for wavelength-division multiplexing applications

A new design for a Fabry-Perot-based array filter for wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) applications is proposed. The device is composed of two partially reflective mirrors; the surface of one of the mirrors is stepwise. Not only does the configuration of multiple air-gap cavities into a single unit provide wavelength tunability but the channel numbers can be expanded. A four-channel multiplexer has been demonstrated. The results revealed that a compact and cost-effective WDM device should be easily attainable.     

Dispersion-optimized optical fiber for high-speed long-haul dense wavelength division multiplexing transmission

Four non-zero-dispersion-shifted fibers with almost the same large effective area (A(eff)) and optimized dispersion properties are realized by novel index profile designing and modified vapor axial deposition and modified chemical vapor deposition processes. An A(eff) of greater than 71 μm(2) is obtained for the designed fibers. Three of the developed fibers with positive dispersion are improved by reducing the 1550 nm dispersion slope from 0.072 ps/nm(2)/km to 0.063 ps/nm(2)/km or 0.05 ps/nm(2)/km, increasing the 1550 nm dispersion from 4.972 ps/nm/km to 5.679 ps/nm/km or 7.776 ps/nm/km, and shifting the zero-dispersion wavelength from 1500 nm to 1450 nm. One of these fibers is in good agreement with G655D and G.656 fibers simultaneously, and another one with G655E and G.656 fibers; both fibers are beneficial to high-bit long-haul dense wavelength division multiplexing systems over S-, C-, and L-bands. The fourth developed fiber with negative dispersion is also improved by reducing the 1550 nm dispersion slope from 0.12 ps/nm(2)/km to 0.085 ps/nm(2)/km, increasing the 1550 nm dispersion from -4 ps/nm/km to -6.016 ps/nm/km, providing facilities for a submarine transmission system. Experimental measurements indicate that the developed fibers all have excellent optical transmission and good macrobending and splice performances.     

Design of all-optical tunable filter based on two-dimensional photonic crystals for WDM (wave division multiplexing) applications

In this paper, all-optical tunable filters based on two-dimensional photonic crystals with very small dimensions for optical telecommunication of WDM technology are designed and simulated. The structure is made of air holes in a dielectric background. The tuning is done by changing resonant defect angle. The channels obtained for this structure will be set in wavelength range of 1550 nm. Created channels are at wavelengths of 1550, 1551, 1552, and 1565 (16 channels); the distance between adjacent channels is 1 nm. Design and simulation of this filter is done by RSOFT software. Quality factor, transmission efficiency, and band gap shows that filter performance is very good.     

One-dimensional to two-dimensional channel formatting with micro-optics for wavelength division multiplexing networks

We present a method of interfacing a conventional wavelength multiplexing and demultiplexing device with a two-dimensional (2-D) array of surface-active elements, such as micro-electromechanical system devices or photodetectors. We use diffractive optical elements to transform wavelength division multiplexed signals spread along a line into a 2-D array. We applied this technique to build a device that is compatible with an arrayed-waveguide grating. The theoretical insertion loss predicted by combining beam propagation and rigorous coupled-wave analysis is 2.75 dB. However, the experimental loss is 10 dB. The difference is due to the poor quality of the diffraction gratings. Nevertheless, the formatting operation was performed successfully.     

Bandpass filters for wavelength division multiplexing-modification of the spectral bandwidth

Dispersion of the phase shift upon reflection of the reflectors is used to narrow the spectral bandwidth of an all-dielectric bandpass filter for wavelength division multiplexing. The bandwidth is altered by the shifting of the order numbers of the spacer layers (of multiple half-wave optical thicknesses).     

双光纤波分复用网阻塞率研究

研究了双光纤波分复用互联网在不同网络容量使用率时的阻塞率,主要对单光纤网络使用波长变换器和双纤网络在波长数不同时对网络阻塞率的改善情况做了仿真比较,结果表明仅仅在低阻塞率时波长变换器给网络所带来的增益非常有限,双纤网络可以达到其效果。     

基于光纤光栅的波分复用系统设计

设计了两种基于光纤布拉格光栅的波分复用(WDM)系统,一种为基于光纤光栅的四路波分复用系统,另一种为结合光分插复用器(OADM)的四路波分复用系统。给出了基于Opti System的波分复用光传输系统仿真模型,对复用及解复用后的光信号进行仿真得出了光谱图,对传输性能及Q因子、误码率、眼图等参数进行分析。在第二种结构中光纤光栅作为色散补偿器、光反射器和滤波器使用,可以实现任一波长的上载和下路。两种波分复用系统眼图张开良好,误码率均低于10e-9。证明了波分复用系统的正确性和设计方案的可行性。     

Dominant wavelength sensitivity of thin-film color filters to spectral centering

The dominant wavelength shift of 16 color filters is presented for a ±1% theoretical change in spectral centering and compared with the threshold-perceived color difference (dominant wavelength). The resulting change in dominant wavelength exceeds a threshold limit of a just-noticed color difference for some filters. Spectral-centering tolerance limits are given for the dominant wavelength to be at the threshold limit. The change in dominant wavelength is also presented from normal incidence to 60° angle of incidence, with incidence-angle limits and corresponding f-numbers for optical systems. For comparison, the color difference Δ E*(uv), from the L*u*v* color space, is calculated for each filter for ±1% spectral centering.     

All-optical crossbar switch using wavelength division multiplexing and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

A design for an all-optical crossbar network utilizing wavelength-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) technology and a combination of free-space optics and compact optical waveguides is presented. Polymer waveguides route the optical signals from a spatially distributed array of processors to a central free-space optical crossbar, producing a passive, all-optical, fully connected crossbar network directly from processor to processor. The analyzed network could, relatively inexpensively, connect local clusters of tightly integrated processors. In addition, it is also believed that such a network could be extended, with wavelength reuse, to connect much larger numbers of processors in a multicluster network.     

Fiber-optic Fabry-Perot sensors based on a combination of spatial-frequency division multiplexing and wavelength division multiplexing formed by chirped fiber Bragg grating pairs

Effective multiplexing for a very large number of fiber-optic fiber-Bragg-grating-based Fabry-Perot (FBGFP) sensors is proposed that is based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and spatial-frequency division multiplexing (SFDM). For WDM, FBGFP sensors are arranged in different wavelength domains formed by a series of chirped fiber Bragg gratings with different central wavelengths while the sensors with different cavity lengths within the same wavelength domain are multiplexed by use of SFDM because they have different spatial frequencies as a result of their different cavity lengths. In principle, a thousand FBGFP sensors could be multiplexed with such an approach. The experimental results show that a strain accuracy of better than +/-10 microepsilon has been achieved with little cross talk.     

Holographic edge-illuminated polymer Bragg gratings for dense wavelength division optical filters at 1550 nm

We discuss the use of holographic photopolymer materials for use as dense wavelength division multiplexing filters in the C-band of the optical communication spectrum. An edge-illuminated hologram configuration is described that effectively extends the grating length to achieve narrow band filters operating near 1550 nm in photopolymers that are 100-200-microm thick. This configuration enables the formation of apodized and cascaded filter systems. Rouard's method is used to examine the properties of both apodization and cascaded gratings and indicates the potential for narrow spectral bandwidths (< 0.2 nm) and high side-lobe suppression (<-- 30 dB). Initial experimental results with a commercially available photopolymer are provided that verify narrowband spectral-transmittance properties (< 0.6 nm) and the ability to apodize the index profile. The primary limitation of the design is the absorption of existing photopolymer materials. Optimizing the polymer chemistry for filter design at 1550 nm may solve this problem.     

Turbulence effect on transmittance of atmospheric optics telecommunication system using dense wavelength division multiplexing

The effect of atmospheric turbulence on atmospheric optics telecommunication links employing dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems is examined. For this purpose, transmittance obtained by using the MODTRAN (MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission) code is modified by the transmittance due to turbulence when the incidence is a partially coherent optical beam. The spanned wavelengths cover the range employed in a practical DWDM system operating in the range of 1550?nm. The effect of turbulence is manifest as a decrease in the transmittance calculated by MODTRAN, being more effective when the incidence becomes less coherent.     

Genetic algorithm quality of service design in resilient dense wavelength division multiplexing optical networks

The important role of quality of service (QoS) in deployment of a resilient dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) backbone for global networks requires critical design-phase planning optimisation. The design issues of resilient DWDM networks for bandwidth and delay sensitive applications of dedicated path protection are addressed. A genetic algorithm (GA) model has been developed to solve the routing and wavelength assignment problem using binary variable-length chromosome encoding under two different schemes of bandwidth optimisation (BOS) and delay optimisation (DOS).The performance of the new GA-based resiliency model has been evaluated for four benchmark networks: PAN EUROPEAN, COST239, NSFNETand ARPA2. Simulation results show a superior capability and efficiency for the model to solve this complex, multi-constraint and nondeterministic polynomial-hard problem for BOS and DOS. The nonlinear nature of this process reveals a significant sensitivity for optical layer network topology on the optimum-design QoS. The results also demonstrate that the PAN EUROPEAN network shows the highest flexibility for primary path design, NSFNET for the secondary path and ARPA2 comes with the lowest design flexibility for both primary and secondary paths.     

Hybrid detectors for wireless orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with code division multiplexing systems based on reliability information

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with code division multiplexing (OFDM-CDM) is attractive for the next generation high-speed wireless systems due to the fact that the performance of OFDM-CDM systems can be considerably improved by employing a joint detection scheme such as the maximum likelihood (ML) detector. However, the complexity of the ML detector increases rapidly as the number of orthogonal spreading codes and/or the number of bits per modulation symbol increase. In this study, the authors introduce a unified detection model and propose two hybrid detectors, which combine zero forcing (ZF) with successive interference cancellation (SIC) and sphere detection (SD) algorithms, respectively. After obtaining the initial solution from the front-end ZF receiver, the proposed back-end algorithms are adopted to extend the potential solution list and search for the final result. The objective is to utilise the combination of a simplified linear equaliser and a comprehensive detection scheme to achieve enhanced performance and offer alternatives to the more complex and channel-estimation-sensitive minimum mean squared error (MMSE) scheme. The results show that the proposed hybrid detectors are able to achieve superior performance compared to the MMSE scheme and provides a significant performance improvement compared to the conventional OFDM counterpart.     

Ultra-low-stress thin-film interference filters

A method to reduce the optical degrading effect of coating stress in a thin-film filter by releasing the filter from the substrate on which it was deposited is described. An extremely challenging 8-skip-0 100 GHz wavelength-division-multiplexing band-splitting filter is demonstrated.