Open AccessSilicon Photonics Wavelength Selective Switch With Unlimited Free Spectral Range
Author(s) -
Kazuhiro Ikeda,
Keijiro Suzuki,
Ryotaro Konoike,
Hitoshi Kawashima
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of lightwave technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1558-2213
pISSN - 0733-8724
DOI - 10.1109/jlt.2020.2989379
Subject(s) - communication, networking and broadcast technologies , photonics and electrooptics
We propose a novel silicon photonics wavelength selective switch (WSS) with sidewall-corrugated contra-directional couplers (C-DCs), which has an unlimited free spectral range and is suitable for broadband operation. Fabricated 2 × 2 1-ch and 2-ch WSSs demonstrate the expected operation with channel wavelengths of 1532 and 1553 nm, a 3-dB bandwidth of ~3 nm, a flattop spectral shape, and an outband extinction ratio larger than 30 dB over a wavelength range wider than C-band. We discuss a limiting factor for the lower inband extinction of ~15 dB, which is a leakage to the bar port in the Mach-Zehnder (MZ) switch. Matching the center wavelength of each MZ switch to the Bragg wavelength of the corresponding C-DCs will improve the inband extinction ratio to be larger than 30 dB.