Interleaving combiner for a bidirectional wavelength-division multiplexing system

   
   

An interleaving combiner (ILC) that may be used to implement hybrid amplification in a bidirectional interleaved wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) system. The ILC implements a composite pump/signal combining and interleaving filtering function in a single topology characterized by relatively low insertion losses. In a preferred form, the ILC is a four-port device that is configured to (i) route bidirectional optical signals corresponding to different communication channels to and from unidirectional lumped optical amplifiers and (ii) combine those signals with a pump signal for distributed amplification in a fiber span between different lumped amplifiers. The ILC provides relatively high rejection for the pump signal along optical paths different from the intended one and relatively low in- and out-of-band crosstalk for the communication channels. The ILC may be implemented using a Gires-Tournois interferometer.

 
Web www.patentalert.com

< Waveguide grating arrangement using a segmented reflector

< Switching arrangement for fault recovery in optical WDM ring networks

> Electromagnetic interference shield

> Method and system for subscriber-configurable communications service

~ 00128