Abstract

The current reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) are based on 1×N wavelength selective switches (WSSs), which have limited flexibility in providing multi-degree add/drop access. Specifically, an 8-degree 96-wavelength contentionless ROADM with 100% add/drop ratio becomes necessary for easy planning and fast deployment of all-optical networks. We propose the use of 3-dimensional MEMS-based 320×320 optical switches in an 8-degree 96- wavelength ROADM system to achieve fully flexible add/drop access with 100% add/drop ratio. By comparing our approach with the approach that uses only 1×N WSSs, we conclude that large- scale optical switches are capable of cost-effectively realizing fully flexible add/drop functionality with high add/drop ratio.

© 2010 Optical Society of America