Optical communication networks have grown at a
phenomenal rate since the introduction of commercial
optical systems in 1980s, with capacity nearly
doubling every year. One of the main driving factors
has been the advancement in multichannel wavelength
division multiplexed (WDM) optical systems which have
significantly extended the accessible bandwidth of
the optical fiber. This book, written in the form of
a thesis, demonstrates the key
role played by photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in
WDM systems by making them simpler, smaller, cheaper,
and more versatile. It takes the reader through
different stages of creation of a PIC:
conceptualization, design, epitaxial growth,
fabrication and testing. Using such PICs, a coherent
optical RF link is built which clearly shows the
advantage of photonic integration over discrete
element systems. Ultimately, using
the principles of photonic integration, a
monolithically integrated reconfigurable optical
add-drop multiplexer (MI-ROADM) is demonstrated which
has the potential to further revolutionize WDM
systems.
phenomenal rate since the introduction of commercial
optical systems in 1980s, with capacity nearly
doubling every year. One of the main driving factors
has been the advancement in multichannel wavelength
division multiplexed (WDM) optical systems which have
significantly extended the accessible bandwidth of
the optical fiber. This book, written in the form of
a thesis, demonstrates the key
role played by photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in
WDM systems by making them simpler, smaller, cheaper,
and more versatile. It takes the reader through
different stages of creation of a PIC:
conceptualization, design, epitaxial growth,
fabrication and testing. Using such PICs, a coherent
optical RF link is built which clearly shows the
advantage of photonic integration over discrete
element systems. Ultimately, using
the principles of photonic integration, a
monolithically integrated reconfigurable optical
add-drop multiplexer (MI-ROADM) is demonstrated which
has the potential to further revolutionize WDM
systems.