TUNABLE DEVICE FOR EXTRACTING AND INSERTING OPTICAL CARRIERSIN OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

摘要

An optical add-drop multiplexer which is tunable within a wide tuning range is provided. The device is based on the use of tunable Bragg gratings (2; 20, 21) which form the means for selecting the carrier or carriers to be inserted and extracted, and optical circulators (1, 3) which form input-output ports for the multiplexed stream to be subjected to the extraction and insertion operations and for the multiplexed flow resulting from this operation, and extraction and insertion ports for the carrier or carriers concerned. The gratings (20; 21) are associated with a phase control element (7) which acts in such a way as to disable the extraction function during a tuning transient