Experimental demonstration of a low-cost petabit-per-second SDM network node

We demonstrate a cost-effective, space-division multiplexed (SDM) reconfigurable optical add & drop multiplexer (ROADM) capable of petabit-per-second-class switching that can be integrated into the switching fabric of next-generation SDM-wavelength-division multiplexed high-capacity optical network elements. The SDM network node is a two-line-side ROADM supporting petabit-per-second line signals, consisting of 22 compact, low-cost, low-loss, 2×2 MEMS switches supporting 22-core multicore fibers. The functionality of the low-cost SDM ROADM is demonstrated through the network scenarios of full add & drop, full express, and partial add & drop, handling a total traffic capacity of 1.08 Pb/s.