ECOC 2014, Cannes - France

We.3.5.2

Low-loss and Low-power-consumption Wavelength Tunable

Filter Enabling Colorless/Directionless/Contentionless Optical
Drop in ROADMs
(1) (1) (1) (1) (2)
Shoichi Takashina , Yojiro Mori , Hiroshi Hasegawa , Ken-ichi Sato , Toshio Watanabe
(1)
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Nagoya University, Japan
s_takasi@echo.nuee.nagoya-u.ac.jp
(2)
NTT Photonics Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Japan

Abstract We propose a novel tunable-filter configuration for optical C/D/C drop in ROADMs, which
achieves low insertion loss and low power consumption. A prototype is monolithically fabricated with
PLC technologies and its good filtering performance is experimentally confirmed by BER
measurement.

Introduction small size. First, by newly configuring switch and

Reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers
(ROADMs) have been widely adopted in present
networks since they can eliminate the use of
costly optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-
1
optical conversions . However, current ROADMs
are mostly operated in a static manner due to
the lack of flexibility, which prevents from their
use for optical-layer-enhanced software-defined
2
networks in the future . To achieve such
flexibility, add/drop parts of the ROADM should
equip colorless/directionless/contentionless
3 6
(C/D/C) functions . These functions can be
4
made possible with large-scale matrix switches
or a combination of splitter-switch and tunable
5
filters . The scale of the matrix switch increases
with square of the number of supported
channels and hence this architecture will not be
suitable to create future large port count
ROADMs. On the other hand, the numbers of
splitter ports, switches, and tunable filters
linearly increase with that of drop channels, this
architecture is desirable for supporting ever-
increasing traffic in a pay-as-you-grow fashion.
Although the tunable-filter function can be
realized with using coherent detection, it will
take long time before all current non-coherent
systems can be replaced with coherent ones, in
particular for relatively lower-speed and low-cost
short-reach transmission in metro networks.
6
In our previous work , we developed a
tunable filter that consists of two-stage cyclic
arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) and two-
wavelength routing arrangement, we succeeded
in applying a single-stage non-cyclic AWG
without increasing necessary switch scale. As a
result, the insertion loss can be reduced.
Second, we employ an athermal AWG that
eliminates the temperature control and hence
reduces power consumption. We fabricated the
tunable-filter prototype on a PLC chip to prove
the feasibility. In the future, silicon photonics
technology may be applied, which will further
reduce the size and cost. Compared with our
previous tunable filter , the power consumption
is reduced by 42%. Moreover, the number of
necessary erbium-doped fiber amplifiers
(EDFAs) used in the drop part is expected to be
reduced by up to 33% thanks to its lower
insertion loss. Its good filtering performance is
also verified by experiments.
Proposed tunable-filter architecture
Figure 1 depicts a schematic of ROADMs that
attains C/D/C drop capability, where a
combination of splitter-switches and tunable
filters is utilized. In the drop part, incoming
multiple channels are amplified by an EDFA and
then distributed by an optical-power splitter.
After that, a desired incoming fiber is selected
by a switch and a target drop channel is finally
extracted with a tunable filter. In this way, each
receiver can access an arbitrary channel in an
arbitrary fiber without any restriction. Since a
tunable filter is necessary per each receiver, the
Incoming
Optical
Add Outgoing
…
…

cross
stage switching. It can be implemented fibers connect part fibers
compactly and cost-effectively with planar- EDFA
lightwave-circuit (PLC) technologies. However, Splitter
since the signal traverses two cyclic AWGs, the Drop
insertion loss inevitably increases. The part SW SW … SW Switch
necessary Peltier device used for temperature Tunable filter
control consumed certain electrical power. Rx Rx Rx Receiver
In this paper, we propose a novel tunable-
filter configuration aiming at low insertion loss Fig. 1: ROADM with C/D/C drop capability, where splitter-
and low power consumption while maintaining switch and tunable filters are composed of.

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 ECOC 2014, Cannes - France
We.3.5.2

requirements are; low power consumption, small number of supported channels. The proposed
size, and low cost. Insertion loss should also be tunable filter attains significant switch scale
minimized because the lower the loss, the larger reduction; for example, 81% reduction is
the allowable degree of a splitter, which extends possible when 96 channels are supported.
sharing of a costly EDFA by more receivers and Compared with the previous 2-stage
hence reduces per channel cost. configuration, the proposed scheme needs
Figure 2(a) illustrates the basic tunable-filter almost the same amount of switch-element
configuration which includes an AWG and a although the proposed one needs only a single
switch (for simplicity, 6 wavelengths are non-cyclic AWG.
assumed). The AWG demultiplex incoming (a) (b)
Ȝ1-Ȝ6
multiple channels according to its wavelength, Non-cyclic Ȝ1-Ȝ6
2 x 1 switch
and one of the outputs is selected by a 6x1 AWG 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3
Ȝ1 Ȝ2
switch. The architecture is not feasible when the Ȝ1 Ȝ2 Ȝ3 Cyclic Ȝ3 Ȝ4
Ȝ1 Ȝ2 Ȝ3 Ȝ4 Ȝ5 Ȝ6
Ȝ4 Ȝ5 Ȝ6 AWG Ȝ5 Ȝ6
number of wavelengths become large, say 96,
6 x 1 switch 3 x 1 switch 1 2
due to its large number of switch elements
First stage Second stage
needed. To reduce the switch scale, we
previously proposed a two-stage cyclic-AWG Fig. 2: Tunable filter architectures, (a) basic configuration
configuration in which the desired channel is and (b) previously proposed 2-stage configuration6.
6
extracted through two-stage grouping , as
shown in Fig.2 (b). The two-stage configuration
(a) Ȝ1-Ȝ6 (b) Ȝ1-Ȝ6
1 x 2 switch 1 x 2 switch
inherently suffers from large insertion loss input #1 Non-cyclic input #2
AWG
because each signal traverses two cyclic AWGs. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Moreover, since it is difficult to make cyclic- Ȝ1 Ȝ3 Ȝ5 Ȝ2 Ȝ4 Ȝ6
AWGs athermal, we need to use power
3 x 1 switch 3 x 1 switch
consuming temperature controllers.
In order to resolve these problems, we Fig. 3: Concept of tunable-filter processes, (a) operation
propose a novel configuration in which a single with input #1 and (b) operation with input #2.
non-cyclic athermal AWG is sandwiched 100
Number of 1x2 switch elements

Type Line
between switches as shown in Fig.3. With such
80 Basic
a configuration, the insertion loss and the power
2-stage AWG[6]
consumption can be smaller without increasing 60
Proposed
necessary switching scale. The non-cyclic AWG -81%
40
provides better demultiplexing performance than
20
that of the cyclic AWG in terms of frequency
deviation and cut-off characteristics. The 0
50 75 100 125 150 175 200
operation of the proposed tunable filter is Number of channels
explained in Fig. 3, where a six-channel tunable
Fig. 4: Number of necessary 1x2 switch elements for basic
filter that consists of a 1x2 switch, a non-cyclic
(Fig. 2(a)), 2-stage (Fig. 2(b)), and newly proposed (Fig. 3)
AWG, and a 3x1 switch is assumed for simplicity.
configurations.
When six channels are injected into the input
port #1 of the AWG, each of the three channels, Prototype and experimental evaluation
Ȝ1, Ȝ3, and Ȝ5, are output from output port #1, To confirm the technical feasibility of the new
#3, and #5, respectively (Fig. 3(a)). On the other tunable filter, we fabricated a prototype
hand, when the input port #2 is selected (Fig. monolithically with PLC technologies. It was
3(b)), each of the three channels, Ȝ2, Ȝ4, and Ȝ6 designed to process 96 channels with 50-GHz
are output from output port #1, #3, and #5, spacing (191.15 + 0.05 x n [THz]; n = 0, 1, 2,…,
respectively. Finally, a 3x1 switch selects any 95) on the ITU-T grid. To minimize the foot print,
one of the three output channels. Generally, an two tunable filters were jointly implemented on a
2
Lx1 (or a 1xL) switch consists of L-1 1x2 switch single PLC chip of 37 x 84.4 mm (Fig.5 (a)),
elements. In constructing a tunable filter for six and four chips (eight tunable filters) were
channels, the number of required 1x2 switch compactly contained in a module box of 135 x
3
elements is 5 for the basic configuration (Fig. 220 x 20 mm (Fig.5 (b)). For the prototype, an
2(a)) and 3 (=1+2) for the proposed one. We athermal AWG was used to eliminate Peltier
can thus reduce required number of switch device, which can reduce electrical power
elements by adopting the switch-AWG-switch consumption. The power consumption of the
arrangement (Fig. 3). newly-developed tunable filter is 1.4 W (i.e. 0.2
Figure 4 compares the number of necessary W for one of the seven activated switch
switch elements calculated as a function of the elements), while that of the previous tunable

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 ECOC 2014, Cannes - France
We.3.5.2

filter including two non-athermal cyclic AWGs is 0

2.4 W (i.e. 0.2 W for one of the seven activated -10 (a)

Power [dBm]
-20
switch elements and 1 W for a Peltier device); -30
42% power reduction is attained. The worst -40
-50
insertion loss of the prototype is 8.3 dB, -60
whereas that of the previously developed 2- -70
1525 1535 1545 1555 1565 1575
stage one is 10.0 dB; 1.7-dB improvement is 0
Wavelength [nm]
achieved. Consequently, we can expect up to -10 (b)

Power [dBm]
-20
33% reduction in the total number of necessary -30
EDFAs in the drop part. -40
-50
Figure 6(a) shows 96-channel input spectra -60
to the tunable filter. Figures 6(b) and (c) present -70
1525 1535 1545 1555 1565 1575
the output spectra when the filter passband 0
Wavelength [nm]

channel is tuned to the best extinction-ratio -10 (c)

Power [dBm]
-20
channel (1530.114 nm) and to the worst one -30
(1550.116 nm), respectively. We can observe -40
-50
that the desired channel is successfully -60
extracted by our tunable filter and the extinction -70
1525 1535 1545 1555 1565 1575
ratio of 20 dB is obtained even in the worst case. Wavelength [nm]

To verify the filtering performance of the Fig. 6: Signal spectra measured with 0.1-nm resolution, (a)
implemented tunable filter, we measured bit- Input channels, (b) output channel of 1530.114 nm (best
error-ratio (BER) characteristics of 10-Gbps case), and (c) output channel of 1550.116nm (worst case).
intensity-modulated signals. The experimental LD: Laser diode
PD: Photo diode
setup is shown in Fig. 7. The worst channel (i.e. PPG: Pulse pattern generators
1550.116nm
1550.116 nm) was evaluated. As crosstalk LD-6 Modulator
ATT: Attenuator
ASE: Amplified spontaneous emission
sources, five closest channels were also input at LD-1
EDFA
BERT: Bit error ratio tester
PPG
each side of the evaluated signal. Figure 8 plots LD-2
Modulator ATT
Tunable PD
…

M filter
BERs measured as a function of the optical LD-5 U
PPG
Coupler
Optical BERT
signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR). The power penalty LD-7 X
ASE noise ATT Spectrum
…

-9
at the BER of 10 was marginal; 0.16 dB. As a LD-11
source Analyzer

result, we confirmed that our newly-developed

Fig. 7: Experimental setup.
tunable filter provides enough performance. -2 Type Marker
Conclusions -3
Single channel
Multiple channels
We successfully fabricated prototype tunable
-4
filters that yield low insertion loss and low power
Log10(BER)

-5
consumption. This is attained with the use of a -6
single-stage non-cyclic AWG with a distributed -7
-8
switching arrangement. The number of -9
-10
-11
necessary EDFAs in the drop part can be -12
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
reduced by up to 33%. Introducing an athermal OSNR [dB] in 0.1 nm

AWG decreased power consumption by 42%. Fig. 8: BER versus OSNR for the worst channel.
The good filtering performance is experimentally References
verified. [1] K. Sato, “Challenges and opportunities of photonic
networking technologies,” Proc. PS/OECC, WQ1-1
Acknowledgements (2013).
This work was partly supported by NICT Ȝ–Reach [2] T. Miyamura, “Experimental Demonstration of Adaptive
Virtual Network Topology Control Mechanism based on
project and KAKENHI (26249056). We are grateful to SDTN Architecture,” Proc. ECOC, Mo.4.E.3 (2013).
Dr. M. Okuno and Mr. Y. Jinnouchi of NTT Electronics [3] Y. Li et al., “Impact of ROADM Colorless, Directionless,
Co., for their useful discussions. and Contentionless (CDC) Features on Optical Network
Performance,” J. Opt. Commun. Netw., Vol. 4, no. 11
(a) Switches AWGs (b) (2012).
37 mm [4] R. Jensen et al., “Colourless, Directionless,
135 mm Contentionless ROADM Architecture Using Low-Loss
Optical Matrix Switches,” Proc. ECOC, Mo.2.D.2 (2010).
[5] B. Collings et al., “The Next Generation of ROADM
84.4 mm 220 mm Devices for Evolving Network Applications,” Market
20 mm Focus of ECOC (2011).
[6] T. Niwa et al., “Compact Wavelength Tunable Filter
Fig. 5: Prototype tunable filters. (a) Two tunable filters on a Fabricated on a PLC Chip that Construct
Colorless/Directionless/Contentionless Drop Function in
single PLC chip and (b) four PLC chips in a module box.
Optical Cross-Connect,” Proc. OFC, OTh3D.6 (2012).

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