OPTICAL MULTIPLEXER/DEMULTIPLEXER AND OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical multiplexer/demultiplexer which is capable of multiplexing input light to a multi-core multimode optical fiber with a plurality of cores for transmission in a plurality of modes or demultiplexing output light from a multi-core multimode optical fiber with a plurality of cores for transmission in a plurality of modes.SOLUTION: The optical multiplexer/demultiplexer includes: a mode conversion waveguide array formed on a substrate, in which N mode conversion waveguides (N is an integer satisfying N≥2) for converting M inputs (M is an integer satisfying M≥2) to m kinds of modes and outputting them (m is an integer satisfying 2≤m≤M) are arranged; multi-core space position conversion means which brings output ends of cores of N or more optical fibers including cores of N multimode optical fibers for propagation of the m kinds of modes, close to each other to make them into one bundle; and optical coupling means which optically couples N outputs of the mode conversion waveguide array and input ends of N multimode cores out of the cores of the plurality of optical fibers of the multi-core space position conversion means.