| 摘要 |
A versatile, wavelength-slicing methodology, referred to herein as spectrum division multiplexing (SDM), provides new avenues and technologies for optical communication applications. Specifically, SDM separates a composed optical signal into a group of output spectra. Each output spectrum carries a multiple of optical communication signal channels. The bandwidth of each channel and spacing between adjacent channels may differ from one output spectrum to another. A critical building block of SDM technology is a spectrum filter with periodic passbands, referred to herein as an optical spectrum synthesizer (OSS). The cascade of OSS devices, the combinations of OSS with prior art components and modules, and other new devices to be used in conjunction with OSS, lead to new spectrum devices that add new dimensions to existing and new optical network architectures. The invention of OSS leads to new Spectrum Division Multiplexing and management devices based on cascading OSS devices. Examples of these devices include Spectrum Exchanger, Spectrum Multiplexer, Spectrum Demultiplexer and Spectrum Add Drop Module. The combinations of OSS and other prior art devices also lead to several new Spectrum devices and modules. Examples of these include, Spectrum Switch, Spectrum Cross-Connect and Spectrum Long Haul Transport Modules. Other devices designed to be used in conjunction with OSS, e.g., 1/n Multiplexer and 1/n Demultiplexer, can also be used to form new devices and modules. In SDM methodology, spectra (group of channels), instead of single channels, are managed collectively thereby offering both flexibility and efficiency for next generation high channel count optical networks.
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