Wavelength accuracy and output power of multiwavelength DFB laser arrays with integrated star couplers and optical amplifiers

In this letter, we report the static performance of multiwavelength DFB laser arrays with integrated star couplers and optical amplifiers built for the reconfigurable optical network testbed. By the use of wavelength redundancy and proximity effect, wavelength deviations of /spl plusmn/0.2 nm or less from the designated eight-wavelength comb have been achieved with high yield. Simultaneous operation of eight wavelengths has also been demonstrated. In spite of the inherent splitting loss of 13 dB, high output powers of about -13 dBm and 0 dBm per wavelength have been measured into a single-mode fiber without and with on-chip optical amplification, respectively.