A 16-channel frequency selection switch for optical FDMdistribution systems

The performance of a 5-GHz-spaced, 16-channel frequency selection switch (FS-SW) for optical frequency division multiplexing (FDM) distribution systems is described. The silica waveguide-type FS-SW is constructed with four serially connected periodic filters integrated on a silicon chip. The required crosstalk level for each periodic filter of the FS-SW was estimated to be -21.0 dB for a 16-channel FS-SW and 23.6 dB for a 128-channel FS-SW. Crosstalk can be independent of the power coupling ratio of the 3-dB-coupler regions by choosing suitable connecting configurations for the periodic filters. A controller for the switch is also described and the desired channel can be selected successfully from among 16 optical carriers under an average crosstalk level of less than -20 dB