Ultra-High Resolution Wideband on-Chip Spectrometer

Abstract

Monitoring the state of the optical network is a key enabler for programmability of network functions, protocols and efficient use of the spectrum. A particular challenge is to provide the SDN-EON controller with a panoramic view of the complete state of the optical spectrum. This paper describes an architecture for compact on-chip spectrometry targeting high resolution across the entire C-band to reliably and accurately measure the spectral profile of WDM signals in fixed and flex-grid architectures. An industry standard software tool is used to validate the performance of the spectrometer. The fabrication of the proposed design is found to be practical.

Keywords

• Spectrometer
• ring resonator
• mach-zehnder interferometer
• arrayed waveguide grating
• photonic integration
• optical performance monitoring