Abstract
Fast wavelength tuning has received interest recently as a mechanism for optical packet or burst switching. These techniques have the potential to make efficient use of the bandwidth available in wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks by allowing optical traffic grooming with sub-wavelength granularity. By modulating each individual packet onto different wavelengths, packets can be routed using simple optical filtering techniques. The important characteristics of the tunable lasers for such applications include tuning range, side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR), output power, and switching speed. The most suitable tunable lasers for use in optical packet switched networks are electronically tunable sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (SG-DBR) and grating coupler sampled-reflector (GCSR) devices, which currently can achieve tuning ranges in excess of 60mn, SMSRs exceeding 40dB, output powers above lOdBm, and switching times below 5ns using advanced switching circuitry [1].
© 2007 IEEE
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