Photonic Integration: A Key Enabler for

Reconfigurable Digital Optical Networks

Serge Melle
VP, Technical Marketing
Infinera
smelle@infinera.com

ROADM Benefits

Any wavelength at any node

Simplify engineering and deployment compared to

fixed OADM
Remote provisioning and reconfiguration
Eliminate truck rolls to intermediate sites
Reduce cost through OEO elimination end-end
wavelength networking
The underlying premise: less electronics + more
optics = lower cost
But

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Wavelength Blocking in ROADM Networks

Allocate bandwidth on ROADM ring using available s

Extending ROADM consumes s end-end across network
Blocking consumes extra s or requires OEO for conversion
..or creates stranded bandwidth and faster capacity exhaust
This does not scale with.

Protection; Hundreds of demands; Larger networks; Nodal connectivity

32-40 WDM

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Sub-Wavelength Traffic in ROADM Networks

Typically many sub- end-end demands: GbE or OC-48/STM-16

Use Muxponders to aggregate 8-10 x 1G or 4 x 2.5G per wavelength
Creates many point-point connections and complex planning
New demands either strand bandwidth, or consume extra wavelengths
Different muxponders for 1G and 2.5G compound complexity

Option 1:
New end-end and muxponders
Inefficient wavelength fill
Stranded capacity & faster
capacity exhaust
Option 2:
Use existing s and muxponders
Added cost from extra interfaces
Manual inter-connects at back-back sites
require truck rolls and extra OpEx

nd
a
m
e
-Z d
A
New

8 x 1G

4 x 2.5G
1G

2.5G

2.5G

1G

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Lets Step Back:

Benefits of Electronics in Optical Networks
Reconfigurable Switching
- Wide choice of switching/grooming
granularity (VC-4, ODU-1, packet)
- Fundamental to managing and
grooming customer services
- Highest level of reconfigurability
- Cost per chip: 10s to 100s of

Dispersion Compensation
- FFE and DFE can compensate
upwards of 1000ps/nm
- MLSE can correct upwards of
3000ps/nm dispersion
- Significant space savings vs. DCF
- Cost per device: 10s of

Reach Improvement

PM and Operations

- G.709 standard defines 6dB gain FEC

(Reed-Solomon)
- High-gain FEC provides optical gain of
8dB to 9dB
- Corrects BER of 10-3 to BER of 10-17
- Cost per chip: 10s to 100s of

- OTH and SONET/SDH Overhead

- Extensive digital PM at all OEO nodes
- J0/B1, BIP-8
- FEC bit error rate monitoring
- Communication channels for OAM&P
- SONET/SDH DCC and OTH TCM

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Relative Costs of OEO The O vs. the E

Accessing the Data

Manipulating the Data

Relative Costs per 10G

High cost of OEO

conversion compared to
the cost for manipulating
the data
Implementing featurerich network & service
functionality incurs a
cost premium
Silicon cost is not the
problem
it is the conversion
cost from Optical to
Electronic

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Why are OEOs Expensive? Discrete Optics

100 Gb/s Transmit

100 Gb/s Receive

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Infineras Photonic Integrated Circuit Innovation

100 Gb/s Transmit
100Gb/s Transmit
100Gb/s Receive
5mm

DIRECT BENEFITS:

100
Gb/s Receive
Reduce
size, power, cost and improve reliability

STRATEGIC BENEFITS:

Low-cost OEO conversion re-enables digital networking

Result: Lower CapEx, lower OpEx, more flexible
reconfigurable optical network
Infinera Confidential and Proprietary | 8

Photonic Integration Enables a Digital ROADM

Use (analog) photonics for what it does best: transmission
Use (digital) electronics for everything else more functionality / lower cost
Consistent with other network elements: SONET/SDH, switches, routers

Signal regeneration
Error correction
Performance monitoring
Sub-add/drop
Sub- Grooming & switching
Multi-Service Multiplexing
Protection

electrical (digital)

Integrated Photonics

Integrated Photonics
optical (analog)

Digital Electronics
& Software

optical (analog)
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Infinera DTN: First PIC-based Digital ROADM

100G per line card

Digital ROADM WDM system
Distributed electronic OTU1 switch
fabric

SONET/SDH, Wave and Ethernetbased add/drop

End-end GMPLS control plane
Broadly deployed since 2004

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Reconfigurable Digital Add/Drop

Switched WDM with sub- grooming at all nodes

Removes wavelength blocking constraints any point to any point
Maximizes WDM capacity on every link - no stranded bandwidth
Switched WDM eliminates back-to-back transponder connections
Mix and match of 1G, 2.5G, 10G and 40G services on any wavelength
Scales with network capacity, number of nodes, network size/distance

N x 100G WDM

N x 100G WDM
N x 100G WDM

N x 100G WDM

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Digital ROADM Service Provisioning & Engineering

Full Digital OAM&P at each Digital Node

Optical link and impairments management isolated between nodes
Optical service layer independent of optical transmission layer
Eliminates all constraints on end-end service path
Enhance access to PM and OAM&P data at all nodes
Simplify network planning, system engineering and service turn-up

4R OEO-based
management

Digital
Node

Digital Link

Digital
Node

Optical link management

isolated between nodes
A Z Service
Demand
Digital
Node

Digital
Node

Digital
Node

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GMPLS-Enabled Networking at Every Node

UNI signaling for IPoptical inter-networking

Fiber
Cut
GMPLS auto- discovery of
circuit & physical topology
of network & services

GMPLS restoration capability

in the transport layer with sub circuit granularity

UNI

GMPLS-enabled endend auto- provisioning

between all nodes

Infinera Confidential and Proprietary | 13

Architecture Impacts of Digital ROADMs

Unconstrained reconfigurability at every node

Sub- granularity for grooming, switching and add/drop
Consolidate DWDM transport & switching in core
Topology/distance-independent service activation
Support linear, ring and mesh topologies
Integrated sub- protection & restoration
End-end GMPLS control plane enables service automation
Extensive digital PMs and diagnostics
Robust digital protection

Infinera Confidential and Proprietary | 14

Integration: Heart of a New Strategy

100 Gb/s Transmit

100 Gb/s Receive

Infinera Confidential and Proprietary | 15

Thank You