A dynamically configurable optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) device was proposed based on volume holographic gratings in doubly doped lithium niobate crystals and the principles of optical crystallography. The device consists of a wavelength demultiplexer module and an array of 2×2 electro-optic switches based on the internal reflection on the surface of the crystal. Two design schemes were presented: OADM based on discrete crystals with unifunctional integration and OADM based on monolithic crystal with multifunctional integration. This device can dynamically select signal channels that need to be added or dropped and simultaneously add/drop arbitrary signal channels. The suggested OADM has superior properties of simple and compact construction, convenient manipulation, lowered insertion losses and resistance to environmental perturbation.

Date Published: 1 September 2009
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 7442, Optics and Photonics for Information Processing III, 74421I (1 September 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.828844

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7442:
Optics and Photonics for Information Processing III
Khan M. Iftekharuddin; Abdul Ahad Sami Awwal, Editor(s)