Stackable ROADM with optical amplifier for use in IP‐Over‐CWDM ring networks

Abstract

A stackable module with a bidirectional coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) amplifier is proposed to introduce the optical amplifier into an stackable-reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (S-ROADM) for use in an IP-over-CWDM ring network, and the performance is evaluated experimentally. Packet transfer changes are monitored during the lightpath reconfiguration, which needs optical amplification. The result clarify that the lightpaths are reconfigured successfully, including the remote activation of the amplifiers. As a result, the stackable feature of the amplifier module enables us to provide a costeffective introduction into the network on an implement-it-when-necessary base in a fully compatible way with the existing S-ROADM modules when constructing the S-ROADM with an amplifier. Therefore, the amplifier module can be used in the same way as the ROADM modules to construct the S-ROADM, providing manually adding capability of the amplifier to inservice networks. Thus, the amplifier module has a big advantage to use it flexibly and economically in the IP-over-CWDM ring networks.