A Robst, Adaptive Multiwavelength WDM Transceiver for Optical Fiber Transmission Systems

Abstract

In the next decade, we will see data transmission with speeds at several tens of gigabits per second (Gb/s) and beyond in long-haul telecommunications networks as well as in LAN, MAN computer networks environments. Time division multiplexing (TDM) based transmission systems become increasingly difficult to implement at higher speeds due to the speed limitations of electronics and in addition, these networks use the available bandwidth inefficiently. As a result, both timing synchronization and bandwidth sharing among large numbers of users become major challenges. Although Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) eases most of these problems, it introduces wavelength synchronization as the primary technical hurdle. We propose an adaptive and robust WDM receiver that can adjusts dynamically to the sources and thus alleviates many of the most serious and costly disadvantages of WDM. The technical burdens of WDM transmission are shifted to the receiver which is designed to accommodate the manufacturing and operating imperfections of the transmitter sources. Consequently, the receiver has then to be more sophisticated, but the added complexity in the receiver is in VLSI, simple PIN diodes, and passive wave optics. These components are inherently among the least expensive components in an optoelectronic system.