Components for WDM

Networks

Xavier Fernando
ADROIT Group
Ryerson University
 Passive Devices
• These operate completely in the optical domain
(no O/E conversion) and does not need
electrical power
• Split/combine light stream Ex: N X N couplers,
power splitters, power taps and star couplers
• Technologies: - Fiber based or
– Optical waveguides based
– Micro (Nano) optics based
• Fabricated using optical fiber or waveguide
(with special material like InP, LiNbO3)
 10.2 Passive Components
• Operate completely in optical domain
• N x N couplers, power splitters, power taps,
star couplers etc.
 Fig. 10-3: Basic Star Coupler
May have N inputs and M outputs

• Can be wavelength selective/nonselective

• Up to N =M = 64, typically N, M < 10
 Fig. 10-4: Fused-fiber coupler /
Directional coupler

• P3, P4 extremely low ( -70 dB below Po)

• Coupling / Splitting Ratio = P2/(P1+P2)
• If P1=P2  It is called 3-dB coupler
 Definitions
Splitting (Coupling) Ratio = P2 ( P1  P2 )

Excess Loss =10 Log[ P0 ( P1  P2 )]

Insertion Loss =10 Log[ Pin Pout ]

Crosstalk = 10 Log( P3 P0 )
Try Ex. 10.2
 P1  P0 sin 2 (z )

Coupler
characteristics

P2  P0 cos 2 (z ) : Coupling Coefficient

 Coupler Characteristics
• By adjusting the draw length of a simple
fused fiber coupler,
– power ratio can be changed
– Can be made wavelength selective
 Wavelength Selective Devices
These perform their operation on the incoming
optical signal as a function of the wavelength
Examples:
• Wavelength add/drop multiplexers
• Wavelength selective optical
combiners/splitters
• Wavelength selective switches and routers
Filter, Multiplexer and Router
A Static Wavelength Router
Fig. 10-11: Fused-fiber star coupler

Splitting Loss = -10 Log(1/N) dB

Excess Loss = 10 Log (Total Pin/Total Pout)
Fused couplers have high excess loss
 Fig. 10-12: 8x8 bi-directional star coupler by
cascading 3 stages of 3-dB Couplers
1, 2 1, 2 5, 6

1, 2 3, 4 7, 8

N (12 = 4 X 3)
Number of 3-dB Couplers N c = log 2 N
2 Try Ex. 10.5
 Fiber Bragg Grating
• This is invented at Communication
Research Center, Ottawa, Canada
• The FBG has changed the way optical
filtering is done
• The FBG has so many applications
• The FBG changes a single mode fiber (all
pass filter) into a wavelength selective filter
 Fiber Brag Grating (FBG)
• Basic FBG is an in-fiber passive optical band
reject filter
• FBG is created by imprinting a periodic
perturbation in the fiber core
• The spacing between two adjacent slits is called
the pitch
• Grating play an important role in:
– Wavelength filtering
– Dispersion compensation
– Optical sensing
– EDFA Gain flattening and many more areas
 Fig. 10-16: Bragg grating formation

2 sin(  / 2)  uv
 FBG Theory
Exposure to the high intensity UV radiation,
the refractive index of the fiber core (n)
permanently changes to a periodic function
of z
n( z )  ncore  n[1  cos( 2z / )]
z: Distance measured along fiber core axis
: Pitch of the grating
ncore: Core refractive index
Reflection at FBG
Fig. 10-17: Simple de-multiplexing function

Reflected Wavelength B  2neff

Peak Reflectivity Rmax = tanh2(kL)
Wavelength Selective DEMUX
 Dispersion Compensation using FBG

Longer wavelengths
take more time

Reverse the operation of

dispersive fiber
Shorter wavelengths
take more time
 ADD/DROP MUX

FBG Reflects in both directions; it is bidirectional

Fig. 10-27: Extended add/drop Mux
Advanced Grating Profiles
 FBG Properties
Advantages
• Easy to manufacture, low cost, ease of coupling
• Minimal insertion losses – approx. 0.1 db or less
• Passive devices

Disadvantages
• Sensitive to temperature and strain.
• Any change in temperature or strain in a FBG causes the
grating period and/or the effective refractive index to change,
which causes the Bragg wavelength to change.
neff neff
neff  T  
T 
Interferometers
 Interferometer
An interferometric device uses 2 interfering paths of
different lengths to resolve wavelengths
Typical configuration: two 3-dB directional couplers
connected with 2 paths having different lengths
Applications:
— wideband filters (coarse WDM)
separate signals at1300 nm from those at 1550 nm
— narrowband filters:
filter bandwidth depends on the number of cascades
(i.e. the number of 3-dB couplers connected)
 Fig. 10-13: Basic Mach-Zehnder
interferometer

Phase shift of the propagating wave increases with L,

Constructive or destructive interference depending on L
 Mach-Zehnder interferometer
Phase shift at the output due to the propagation path
length difference:
2 neff
  L

If the power from both inputs (at different
wavelengths) to be added at output port 2, then,
1 1
  2 neff    L
 1 2 

Try Ex. 10-6

Mach-Zehnder interferometer
Fig. 10-14: Four-channel wavelength multiplexer
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
MZI- Demux Example
 Fiber Grating Filters
• Grating is a periodic structure or
perturbation in a material
• Transmitting or Reflecting gratings
• The spacing between two adjacent slits is
called the pitch
• Grating play an important role in:
– Wavelength filtering
– Dispersion compensation
– EDFA Gain flattening and many more areas
 Reflection grating

Different wavelength can be separated/added

Arrayed wave guide grating
 Phase Array Based WDM Devices
• The arrayed waveguide is a generalization
of 2x2 MZI multiplexer
• The lengths of adjacent waveguides differ
by a constant L
• Different wavelengths get multiplexed
(multi-inputs one output) or de-multiplexed
(one input multi output)
• For wavelength routing applications multi-
input multi-output routers are available
 Diffraction gratings
source impinges on a diffraction grating ,each wavelength
is diffracted at a different angle
Using a lens, these wavelengths can be focused onto
individual fibers.
Less channel isolation between closely spaced wavelengths.
 Arrayed Waveguide Grating

-- good performance -- more cost effective

-- quicker design cycle time --- higher channel count
 Multi wavelength sources
• Series of discrete DFB lasers
– Straight forward, but expensive stable sources
• Wavelength tunable lasers
– By changing the temperature (0.1 nm/OC)
– By altering the injection current (0.006 nm/mA)
• Multi-wavelength laser array
– Integrated on the same substrate
– Multiple quantum wells for better optical and
carrier confinement
• Spectral slicing – LED source and comb
filters
 Tunable Filters
• At least one branch of the coupler has its
length or ref. index altered by a control
mechanism
• Parameters: tuning range (depends on
amplifier bandwidth), channel spacing (to
minimize crosstalk), maximum number of
channels (N) and tuning speed
Fig. 10-23: Tunable optical filter
Fig. 10-21: Tunable laser characteristics

Typically, tuning range 10-15 nm,

Channel spacing = 10 X Channel width
 Summary
• DWDM plays an important role in high
capacity optical networks
• Theoretically enormous capacity is possible
• Practically wavelength selective (optical
signal processing) components decide it
• Passive signal processing elements are
attractive
• Optical amplifications is imperative to
realize DWDM networks