Reconfigurable WDM add/drop multiplexer based on optical switches and fibre Bragg gratings

Abstract

A reconfigurable wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) add/drop multiplexer (WADM) is constructed using optical switches (OSWS) and fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs). Selected one or two channel(s) can be added/dropped at the same multiplexer by properly controlling the optical switch pair and fibre Bragg grating arrangement. A four-channel system is experimentally demonstrated for a data rate of 2.5 Gb s(-1) and a single-mode fibre (SMF) distance of 100 km. A negligible maximum power penalty of only 0.3 dB is observed when compared with back-to-back transmission.