Lossless photonic integrated add-drop switch node for metro-access networks

We assess the performance of a modular photonic integrated circuit (PIC) for space and time optical switching as an optical add-drop node for metro-access network applications. The PIC based on semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) technology enables the implementation of compact, low cost and lossless add-dropping through fast optical switching. Data integrity measurements demonstrate error-free switching operation with less than 1 dB and 2.5 dB power penalty for 10 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s NRZ OOK optical signal, respectively. The dynamic control of the SOA based optical gates by the switch controller permits the power equalization of the switched channels. The experimental results also demonstrate dynamic forwarding, dropping and multicasting operation for a packetized 10 Gb/s NRZ OOK optical signal. The transparency of the SOA technology towards the optical signal's data rate allows to avoid costly and power consuming dedicated interfaces at the add-drop node and open a path towards efficient statistical multiplexing.