Title :
Dual-Operability and Bandwidth Partitioning Enabled by an ONU With Tandem-Modulator
Author :
Schrenk, Bernhard ; Bauwelinck, Johan ; Lazaro, Jose A. ; Kazmierski, Christophe ; Qiu, Xing-Zhi ; Prat, Josep
Author_Institution :
Tech. Univ. of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
fDate :
9/1/2011 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
An upgrade at the physical layer regarding unbundling and dynamic bandwidth provisioning of a wavelength division multiplexed access network is presented. The capability of a reflective modulator to act as a photodetector is exploited and allows a tandem configuration to be used at the optical network unit (ONU) for flexible switching of the detection and modulation branch. Consequently, a mechanism for service operator selection and for dynamic bandwidth partitioning up to twice the nominal data rate is provided. The scheme is experimentally evaluated for different kinds of modulators and shows, together with a full-duplex transmission at 10 Gb/s, additional operation modes, featuring unidirectional downstream and upstream burst-mode transmission with up to 20 Gb/s for ONUs based on a combination of a semiconductor optical amplifier and a reflective electro-absorption modulator.
Keywords :
optical fibre networks; subscriber loops; wavelength division multiplexing; ONU; bandwidth partitioning; burst-mode transmission; dual-operability; dynamic bandwidth; modulation branch; optical network unit; photodetector; reflective electro-absorption modulator; reflective modulator; tandem-modulator; wavelength division multiplexed access network; Bandwidth; Optical modulation; Optical network units; Optical receivers; Optical transmitters; Passive optical networks; Dynamic bandwidth allocation; Multi-operability; Optical communication terminals; Optical fiber communication; Optical signal detection; Passive optical network;
Journal_Title :
Optical Communications and Networking, IEEE/OSA Journal of
DOI :
10.1364/JOCN.3.000674
