24 [1×12] Wavelength Selective Switches Integrated on a Single 4k LCoS Device

Haining Yang,Brian Robertson,Sam Giltrap,Peter Wilkinson,Harry Prudden,Oliver Snowdon,Daping Chu

doi:10.1109/jlt.2020.3002716

Haining Yang, Brian Robertson + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/jlt.2020.3002716

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Abstract

This article demonstrates the design, assembly, optimisation, and characterisation of 24 [1 × 12] wavelength selective switches (WSSs) based on a single set of optics and a 4k liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) device. The average insertion loss was measured to be 8.4 dB with an average crosstalk level of 26.9 dB. To our knowledge, this module with 312 fibre ports is the highest-capacity WSS demonstrated so far. The module can be flexibly reconfigured into different switches and port counts for advanced reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) applications.

Highlights

R ECONFIGURABLE optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) [1]–[3] have been widely deployed as the core routing technology for modern telecommunication networks [4] and datacentre interconnect (DCI) networks [5]
The performance of this demonstration was extensively characterised for its insertion loss, crosstalk, and passband, as the key wavelength selective switches (WSSs) metrics that determine the performance of ROADM networks [31]–[34]
A highly-integrated WSS technology platform has been demonstrated in the form of a 24 [1 × 12] WSS module based on a single set of optics and a 4k liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) device

Summary

Introduction

R ECONFIGURABLE optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) [1]–[3] have been widely deployed as the core routing technology for modern telecommunication networks [4] and datacentre interconnect (DCI) networks [5]. A typical ROADM system can be divided into the transit part [6] and the add/drop part [7]. The add/drop part enables the wavelength channels to be dropped from the transit part for local processing, or to be added into the network for further transmission. All the routing and add/drop in ROADMs are realised entirely in the optical domain without the need for optical-electrical-optical (OEO) conversion. This makes the modern networks highly energy efficient. State-of-the-art ROADMs are compatible with the flexible grid standard [8], where wavelength channels

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