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Edwin Jan Klein - Universiteit Twente

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Densely integrated devices for WDM-PON<br />

7.2. A reconfigurable Add-Drop Multiplexer based on<br />

microring resonators<br />

An OADM can be implemented using for instance arrayed waveguide gratings or<br />

Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI). However, OADMs based on AWGs are<br />

generally large devices since AWGs can only split one channel into multiple channels<br />

or vice versa. An OADM based on AWGs would therefore require additional<br />

components like optical switches. Likewise, a considerable number of MZIs would be<br />

required to drop even a few channels [144]. An OADM based on microring resonators<br />

[145] with radii in the order of tens of µm, however, allows for extremely small–area<br />

devices. Due to the highly selective MR filter characteristic a minimum component<br />

implementation of a 4-channel OADM can already be realized with four microring<br />

resonators while additional switching functionality is easily implemented.<br />

7.2.1 Design and fabrication<br />

The OADM was designed as shown in Fig. 7.5 It consists of a central bus waveguide<br />

(with the ports IIn and IOut) and four add-drop port waveguides that intersect the bus<br />

waveguide at right angles with a single MR placed at each intersection. In addition to<br />

the waveguides that are shown, an alignment waveguide, as discussed in Chapter<br />

3.7.1, was also included to aid in the alignment of fiber arrays.<br />

The cross-grid (Manhattan) [139] arrangement of the bus and add-drop waveguides<br />

allows for a very efficient and simple design, requiring only two bends in the central<br />

bus waveguide. All other waveguides can be implemented using straights.<br />

Figure 7.5. Schematic layout of a 4-channel<br />

OADM.<br />

163<br />

Figure 7.6. Close-up of a realized OADM.<br />

The waveguides and the omega shaped<br />

heaters on top of the four resonators can<br />

be discerned.<br />

A downside to the cross-grid approach, however, is that minor losses and reflections<br />

occur at the intersections between the bus and add-drop waveguides. In addition some<br />

crosstalk between the signals propagating in these waveguides may occur. This can be

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