Planar arrayed-waveguide grating multi/demultiplexers based on ion-exchanged waveguides in glass

Multi/demultiplexing (MUX/DEMUX) components play an important role in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems. Wavelength multiplexing is a key technology for high capacity fibre optical systems and provides additional functions such as wavelength routing. Another application of MUX/DEMUX devices is adding and dropping of channels (so-called add-drop multiplexers). This can be achieved by connecting the input/output waveguides of the MUX/DEMUX to other fibres via switches. 8-channel, 50 GHz arrayed-waveguide grating multiplexers are fabricated using ion-exchanged waveguides in glass. These waveguides exhibit very low birefringence. Therefore, the TE-TM shift of the transmission maxima is only 0.02 nm. As the refractive index profiles of the buried waveguides display nearly radial symmetry, the coupling efficiency to standard single mode fibres is very high. By changing the temperature of the device, the wavelength response can be tuned by 1.4 GHz/°C