Ring resonator based polarization diversity WDM receiver.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Communications
• Integrated Optics
• Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)

Background:

• Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) is crucial for high-capacity optical networks.
• Polarization diversity in WDM receivers can improve performance but often increases complexity.
• Integrated photonic devices offer miniaturization and potential cost reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a simplified 4-channel WDM receiver with polarization diversity.
• To reduce the number of control circuits required for polarization-diverse WDM receivers.
• To assess the performance and robustness of the proposed WDM receiver design.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a ring resonator-based design for WDM demultiplexing.
• Integrated a waveguide loop with a polarization splitter-rotator (PSR) to process both polarizations with a single set of filters.
• Conducted large signal measurements to evaluate performance metrics.

Main Results:

• Achieved 10 Gb/s per channel operation with polarization diversity.
• Reduced the number of channel control circuits by half compared to conventional methods.
• Demonstrated tolerance to a signal delay of up to 30% of the unit interval (UI) between polarizations.
• Observed negligible inter-channel crosstalk at 0.4nm (50 GHz) spacing with 17 dB adjacent channel isolation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed ring resonator-based WDM receiver with polarization diversity offers a simplified and robust solution.
• The design is compatible with dense WDM applications due to its high channel isolation and tolerance to manufacturing variations.
• This integrated photonic approach paves the way for more efficient and compact optical communication systems.