Abstract

The ability of wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) to increase the capacity of single-mode fiber far beyond 10 Gbit/s, qualifies the technology as a strong candidate for future broadband transport networks. This increase in capacity will put an enormous strain on vehicles for bandwidth management, where communication streams are traditionally managed at a DS3 granularity (45 Mbit/s). Multiwavelength optical routers, as enabled by acousto-optical tunable filters (AOTFs), would provide a wavelength-level bandwidth management facility, relieving this electronic bottleneck.

© 1995 Optical Society of America