WDM Concept and

Components
EE 8114
Course Notes
Part 1: WDM Concept
Evolution of the Technology
 Why WDM?
Capacity upgrade of existing fiber networks
(without adding fibers)
Transparency: Each optical channel can carry
any transmission format (different
asynchronous bit rates, analog or digital)
Scalability Buy and install equipment for
additional demand as needed
Wavelength routing and switching:
Wavelength is used as another dimension to
time and space
 Wavelength Division Multiplexing

Each wavelength is like a separate channel (fiber)

 Ex: SONET

TDM Vs WDM
 Wavelength Division Multiplexing

Passive/active devices are needed to

combine, distribute, isolate and amplify
optical power at different wavelengths
 WDM, CWDM and DWDM
WDM technology uses multiple wavelengths
to transmit information over a single fiber
Coarse WDM (CWDM) has wider channel
spacing (20 nm) low cost
Dense WDM (DWDM) has dense channel
spacing (0.8 nm) which allows simultaneous
transmission of 16+ wavelengths high
capacity
 WDM and DWDM
First WDM networks used just two wavelengths, 1310
nm and 1550 nm
Today's DWDM systems utilize 16, 32,64,128 or more
wavelengths in the 1550 nm window
Each of these wavelength provide an independent
channel (Ex: each may transmit 10 Gb/s digital or
SCMA analog)
The range of standardized channel grids includes 50,
100, 200 and 1000 GHz spacing
Wavelength spacing practically depends on:
laser linewidth
optical filter bandwidth
ITU-T Standard Transmission DWDM windows

c
2

 Principles of DWDM
BW of a modulated laser: 10-50 MHz 0.001 nm
Typical Guard band: 0.4 1.6 nm
80 nm or 14 THz @1300 nm band
120 nm or 15 THz @ 1550 nm
Discrete wavelengths form individual channels that can
be modulated, routed and switched individually
These operations require variety of passive and active
devices
c
2 Ex. 10.1

Nortel OPTERA 640 System

64 wavelengths each carrying 10 Gb/s

 DWDM Limitations
Theoretically large number of channels can
be packed in a fiber
For physical realization of DWDM networks
we need precise wavelength selective
devices
Optical amplifiers are imperative to
provide long transmission distances
without repeaters
Part II: WDM Devices
 Key Components for WDM
Passive Optical Components
Wavelength Selective Splitters
Wavelength Selective Couplers
Active Optical Components
Tunable Optical Filter
Tunable Source
Optical amplifier
Add-drop Multiplexer and De-multiplexer
Photo detector Responsivity
Photo detectors are
sensitive over wide
spectrum (600 nm).
Hence, narrow optical
filters needed to
separate channels
before the detection
in DWDM systems
 Passive Devices
These operate completely in the optical
domain (no O/E conversion) and does not need
electrical power
Split/combine light stream Ex: N X N couplers,
power splitters, power taps and star couplers
Technologies: - Fiber based or
Optical waveguides based
Micro (Nano) optics based
Fabricated using optical fiber or waveguide
(with special material like InP, LiNbO3)
Filter, Multiplexer and Router
 Basic Star Coupler
May have N inputs and M outputs

Can be wavelength selective/nonselective

Up to N =M = 64, typically N, M < 10
 Fused-Biconical coupler OR
Directional coupler

P3, P4 extremely low ( -70 dB below Po)

Coupling / Splitting Ratio = P2/(P1+P2)
If P1=P2 It is called 3-dB coupler
 Fused Biconical Tapered Coupler
Fabricated by twisting together, melting and
pulling together two single mode fibers
They get fused together over length W;
tapered section of length L; total draw length
= L+W
Significant decrease in V-number in the
coupling region; energy in the core leak out
and gradually couples into the second fibre
 Definitions
Splitting (Coupling) Ratio = P2 ( P1 P2 )

Excess Loss =10 Log[ P0 ( P1 P2 )]

Insertion Loss =10 Log[ Pin Pout ]

Crosstalk = 10 Log( P3 P0 )
Try Ex. 10.2
 P1 P0 cos 2 (z )

P2 P0 sin 2 (z )

Coupler
characteristics

: Coupling Coefficient
 Coupler Characteristics
power ratio between both output can be
changed by adjusting the draw length of a simple
fused fiber coupler

It can be made a WDM de-multiplexer:

Example, 1300 nm will appear output 2 (p2) and 1550 nm
will appear at output 1 (P1)
However, suitable only for few wavelengths that are far
apart, not good for DWDM
 Wavelength Selective Devices
These perform their operation on the incoming
optical signal as a function of the wavelength
Examples:
Wavelength add/drop multiplexers
Wavelength selective optical combiners/splitters
Wavelength selective switches and routers
 Fused-Fiber Star Coupler

Splitting Loss = -10 Log(1/N) dB = 10 Log (N) dB

Excess Loss = 10 Log (Total Pin/Total Pout)
Fused couplers have high excess loss
 8x8 bi-directional star coupler by cascading 3
stages of 3-dB Couplers
1, 2 1, 2 5, 6

1, 2 3, 4 7, 8

N (12 = 4 X 3)
Number of 3-dB Couplers N c = log 2 N Try Ex. 10.5
2
Fiber Bragg Grating
 Fiber Bragg Grating
This is invented at Communication Research
Center, Ottawa, Canada
The FBG has changed the way optical filtering
is done
The FBG has so many applications
The FBG changes a single mode fiber (all pass
filter) into a wavelength selective filter
 Fiber Brag Grating (FBG)
Basic FBG is an in-fiber passive optical band reject
filter
FBG is created by imprinting a periodic
perturbation in the fiber core
The spacing between two adjacent slits is called
the pitch
Grating play an important role in:
Wavelength filtering
Dispersion compensation
Optical sensing
EDFA Gain flattening
Single mode lasers and many more areas
 Bragg Grating formation

2 sin( / 2) uv
 FBG Theory
Exposure to the high intensity UV radiation
changes the fiber core n(z) permanently as a
periodic function of z
n( z ) ncore n[1 cos( 2z / )]

z: Distance measured along fiber core axis

: Pitch of the grating
ncore: Core refractive index
n: Peak refractive index
Reflection at FBG
Simple De-multiplexing Function

Reflected Wavelength B 2neff

Peak Reflectivity Rmax = tanh2(kL)
Wavelength Selective DEMUX
 Dispersion Compensation

Longer wavelengths
take more time

Reverse the operation of

dispersive fiber
Shorter wavelengths
take more time
 ADD/DROP MUX

FBG Reflects in both directions; it is bidirectional

Extended Add/Drop Mux
 FBG for DFB Laser

Only one wavelength gets positive feedback

single mode Distributed Feed Back laser
Advanced Grating Profiles
 FBG Properties
Advantages
Easy to manufacture, low cost, ease of coupling
Minimal insertion losses approx. 0.1 db or less
Passive devices

Disadvantages
Sensitive to temperature and strain.
Any change in temperature or strain in a FBG causes the
grating period and/or the effective refractive index to change,
which causes the Bragg wavelength to change.
neff neff
neff T
T
Unique Application of FBG
Resonance Cavity with FBG
Transmission Characteristics
Experimental Set-Up
 What is the wavelength separation
when RF separation 50 MHz?
Interferometers
 Interferometer
An interferometric device uses 2 interfering paths of
different lengths to resolve wavelengths
Typical configuration: two 3-dB directional couplers
connected with 2 paths having different lengths

Applications:
wideband filters (coarse WDM) that separate
signals at1300 nm from those at 1550 nm
narrowband filters: filter bandwidth depends on the
number of cascades (i.e. the number of 3-dB
couplers connected)
 Basic Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

Phase shift of the propagating wave increases with L,

Constructive or destructive interference depending on L
 Mach-Zehnder Interferometer
Phase shift at the output due to the propagation
path length difference:
2 neff
L

If the power from both inputs (at different
wavelengths) to be added at output port 2, then,
1 1
2 neff L
1 2

Try Ex. 10-6

 Four-Channel Wavelength Multiplexer

By appropriately selecting L, wavelength

multiplexing/de-multiplexing can be achieved
MZI- Demux Example
Arrayed Wave Guide Filters

Each waveguide has

slightly different length
 Phase Array Based WDM Devices
The arrayed waveguide is a generalization
of 2x2 MZI multiplexer
The lengths of adjacent waveguides differ
by a constant L
Different wavelengths get multiplexed
(multi-inputs one output) or de-multiplexed
(one input multi output)
For wavelength routing applications multi-
input multi-output routers are available
 Diffraction Gratings
source impinges on a diffraction grating ,each wavelength
is diffracted at a different angle
Using a lens, these wavelengths can be focused onto
individual fibers.
Less channel isolation between closely spaced wavelengths.
Generating Multiple Wavelength for
WDM Networks
Discrete DFB lasers
Straight forward stable sources, but
expensive
Wavelength tunable DFB lasers
Multi-wavelength laser array
Integrated on the same substrate
Multiple quantum wells for better optical
and carrier confinement
Spectral slicing LED source and comb
filters
Discrete Single-Wavelength Lasers
Number of lasers into simple power coupler;
each emit one fixed wavelength
Expensive (multiple lasers)
Sources must be carefully controlled to avoid
wavelength drift
 Frequency Tuneable Laser
Only one (DFB or DBR) laser that has grating
filter in the lasing cavity
Wavelength is tuned by either changing the
temperature of the grating (0.1 nm/OC)
Or by altering the injection current into the
passive section (0.006 nm/mA)
The tuning range decreases with the optical
output power
Tunable Laser Characteristics

Typically, tuning range 10-15 nm,

Channel spacing = 10 X Channel width
 Tunable Filters
Tunable filters are made by at least one branch of
an interferometric filter has its
Propagation length or
Refractive index altered by a control mechanism
When these parameters change, phase of the
propagating light wave changes (as a function of
wavelength)
Hence, intensity of the added signal changes (as a
function of wavelength)
As a result, wavelength selectivity is achieved
Tunable Optical Filters
 Tuneable Filter Considerations
Tuning Range (): 25 THz (or 200nm) for the
whole 1330 nm to 1500 nm. With EDFA
normally = 35 nm centered at 1550 nm
Channel Spacing (): the min. separation
between channels selected to minimize
crosstalk (30 dB or better)
Maximum Number of Channels (N = / ):
Tuning speed: Depends on how fast switching
needs to be done (usually milliseconds)
 Issues in WDM Networks
Nonlinear inelastic scattering processes due to
interactions between light and molecular or
acoustic vibrations in the fibre
Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)
Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS)
Nonlinear variations in the refractive index
due to varying light intensity
Self Phase Modulation (SPM)
Cross Phase Modulation (XPM)
Four Wave Mixing (FWM)
 Summary
DWDM plays an important role in high capacity optical
networks
Theoretically enormous capacity is possible
Practically wavelength selective (optical signal
processing) components and nonlinear effects limit the
performance
Passive signal processing elements like FBG, AWG are
attractive
Optical amplifications is imperative to realize DWDM
networks