ROADM Technologies for Flexible, Tbit/sec Optical

Networks

Simon Poole
Director, New Business Ventures
2014 Finisar Corporation
 ROADM Proliferation

ROADMs are used to manage transparent traffic

through the intersections of a WDM network;
Switching Cost Relative to OSI Layer

3 prime functions:
Wavelength Switching
Amplification
Signal Integrity Monitoring

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Problem: How to reduce cost of transmission
Route & Select
CD/CDC
Size Dual WSS
Power Amplifiers
Reduce Opex Reduce Capex

Cost of Transmission
($/Gb/sec/km)

Increase Capacity
Coherent Nyquist Filtering
Superchannels Flexible Grid
Amplifiers Monitoring
Defragmentation etc
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Increasing Capacity: Nyquist & Superchannels

Third generation coherent

Relative Power (dB)

Relative Power (dB)
transmitters add a filtering
(digital/analog) at transmitter to
minimise optical bandwidth of
signal (Nyquist output) QPSK 16QAM

Normalized Freq (GHz) Normalized Freq (GHz)

A superchannel is a multi-
carrier group of channels that
is operationally managed as a
single channel and which can
be presented to higher
networking layers as a single
higher data rate channel. (May
or may not be Nyquist filtered).

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Flexible Grid WSS

First generation WSS allocated a

single channel to a single pixel

LCoS-based WSS use a flexible

matrix-based wavelength switching
platform with megapixel matrices
which allows programmable
channel bandwidth 0.5

0.0

-0.5

Rel IL (dB)
-1.0

-1.5
-2.0
-2.0
Rel IL (dB)

-2.5
-2.5

-3.0
-3.0 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25
-22 -21 -20 -19 -18 -17

Rel Freq (GHz)

Rel Freq (GHz)

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From Fixed-grid to Flexgrid

LCoS technology allows arbitrary channel bandwidth

Trade-off between flexibility and OSS requirements
12.5GHz slices as per ITU G 694.1 (Feb 2012) supports legacy
fixed-grid as well as Flexgrid

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 Flexgrid & Superchannels
15 GHz Dead Zones
35 GHz Pass Bands

Fixed Grid WSS require

interchannel guard-bands

Up to 5 THz Pass Band, 15 GHz Dead Zone

Flexgrid WSS +
superchannels allow denser
channel packing by eliminating
inter-channel guard-bands

Flexgrid + superchannels with

Nyquist Filtering for maximum
Spectral Efficiency

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Advanced Flexgrid Functionality
No Limit to Superchannel spectral width
37.5 GHz 5 THz in 6.25 GHz increments
Intra-channel attenuation control
Attenuation range: 0 to 20 dB
Intra-channel attenuation control of each 6.25 GHz section of a channel
Enables equalization across super channels
Dynamic and scalable channel width
Hitlessly widen, narrow or migrate a channel with 6.25 GHz resolution
Established traffic unaffected
Simplifies defragmentation

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Flexgrid WSS: a proven technology

Finisar has deep experience in LCoS WSS since 2004

More than half of Finisars shipped WSS feature flexible grid
functionality
Common LCoS Platform

Single WSS: 1x4 1x20 Dual WSS: 2x1x20, 2xMxN

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Example ROADM Configurations

ROADM design depends on many factors

Network Design
Node Degree(s)
Electronic vs Optical switching
Expandability vs Initial Cost
etc

Traditional Broadcast and Select

Colourless, Directionless (CD)
Colourless, Directionless, Contentionless (CDC)

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Broadcast and Select ROADM
Classic (B&S) ROADM
1x8 splitter Passive split on Drop-side
8x8 Span WSS on Add-side
Crossconnect

AWG for wavelength

mux/demux
OCM

Fixed Grid
1x9 WSS

8x8 Span
Crossconnect Coloured Add/Drop
100% Add/Drop of 88
channels
2x100 GHz AWGs on
add side for lost cost
44 ch AWG
44 ch AWG 88 ch AWG
Fixed-grid OCM
88 ADD 88 DROP

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Colourless, Directionless (CD) ROADM
CD ROADM
Typical Requirements
8 degrees with 100% Add/Drop of 96
1x16 WSS

8x8 Span
Crossconnect channels
Flexgrid
Drop Ports 2-8
OCM

NB Limited drop-side filtering only

Drop Port 1
works for coherent systems
1x16 WSS

8x8 Span
Crossconnect

Add Ports 2 - 8

To From
Typical Modularity
Add 1 Directions 2-8 Directions 2-8
Per degree
2x1x16 (Dual) WSS

6x8 WSS 8x6

8x6WSS
WSS Flexgrid OCM
Pre-amp and booster

AMP Per directional switch

AMP
2x6x8 per 96 channels
x6 x6
16x1 coupler 1x16 splitter Per 16 channel Add/Drop
2x1x16 splitter/couplers
16 ADD 16 DROP EDFA per splitter/coupler

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Colourless, Directionless, Contentionless, (CDC) ROADM
CDC ROADM
Typical Requirements
Scalable to 8 degrees with ~30%
1x23 WSS

8x8 Optical
Crossconnect Add/Drop of 96 channel systems
Flexgrid
Drop Ports 2-16
OCM

NB No drop-side filtering only

works for coherent systems
1x23 WSS

8x8 Optical Drop Port 1

Crossconnect

Add Ports 2-16

Example Modularity
Add Port 1 Per degree
To
AMP Directions 2 - 8
AMP From 2x1x23 (Dual) WSS
Directions 2-8
Flexgrid OCM
8x16 MCS 8x16 MCS Pre-amp and booster
Per 16 channel Add/Drop
16 ADD 16 DROP 2x8x16 multicast switch
Quad low-gain EDFA (2 per
multicast switch)

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8 Degree ROADM Comparison

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CDC ROADM , 100% Add Drop
CDC ROADM
100% capacity on each Add/Drop
requires:
1x23 WSS

8x8 Optical
Crossconnect

Drop Ports 2-16 1 x 4 splitter

OCM

Higher gain amplifiers

Additional MCS on Add/Drop
1x23 WSS

8x8 Optical Drop Port 1

Crossconnect

Add Ports 2-16

AMP
Add Port 1

1x4 splitter

From From From

Directions 2-8 Directions 2-8 Directions 2-8

8x16 MCS 8x16 MCS 8x16 MCS

16 DROP 16 DROP 16 DROP

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 Optical Amplifiers: Size, Power, SNR

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 Honey, I shrunk the EDFA

XFP: 1.5W power

consumption

APPROXIMATE LIFETIME EXPECTATIONS*

Coil diameter
10 12 14 18
(mm)
125m 3%
<1 year <1 year ~3.17 years >50 years
proof tested fiber
80m 2% proof
<1 year 0-3.17 years >40 years >50 years
tested fiber
80m 3% proof
>40 years >50 years >50 years >50 years
tested fiber
*Cost 218 Model, 4m of fibre

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EDFA Arrays for ROADMs

Shared electronics reduces cost, power, size

Uncooled pumps - lower power consumption

Dual EDFA (70x90 mm) 8 EDFA

PreAmp and Booster in one box (183 x 150 x 18.5 mm)

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Hybrid Raman-EDFA

A combination of a counter-propagating Raman pump unit and a

variable gain EDFA
Mesh networks
ULH inline amplification
Hut skipping (for high gain range units)

2 or 3-Pump Hybrid Raman EDFA

Overall Gain

Raman
EDFA
14XX
980 Pump
pump(s)

Electronics for
AGC Control and Eye Safety

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Amplifier Trends

Availability of up to 130 channels (37.5 GHz-spaced Nyquist

channels within larger superchannels) in the C-band drives
higher amplifier output powers.
Mesh topology will drive lower NF (Hybrid Raman-EDFA)
and superior dynamics (fast electronics) to allow flexibility in
network re-configuration.
Raman and Hybrid Raman-EDFAs will proliferate in long
haul systems.
To simplify ROADM control loops, gain uniformity <0.5 dB.
To reduce types of EDFAs used, either gain switched
platforms will proliferate or pluggable EDFAs will take off -
provided there is no cost penalty

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Optical Channel Monitors:
Flexgrid, Superchannels and SDN

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 OCM Requirements

Spectral power information with high resolution

Intra-channel attenuation in 6.25 GHz spectral slices
Power monitoring of superchannel carriers
Location of center wavelengths of superchannel carriers
Eliminate power differential between adjacent channels

Fast scanning and response time

Superchannel Add/Drop requires OCM, not just a photodiode, to monitor traffic through
Add/Drop paths
Loss of Signal (LoS) and fault detection to support protection and restoration switching

Staring mode - monitoring a fixed frequency

Applications utilizing in-band modulation signals, i.e. wavelength tracking
Possibly demodulate within the OCM
Some proprietary OSNR measurement techniques

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Multi-port Flexgrid Optical Channel Monitor

Grating spectrally disperses light from up to four fibers.

2D MEMS mirror is used to scan the optical spectrum onto an
array of photodiodes.

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Example: Multiport Flexgrid OCM

Small size: 100x50x15 mm, Low power: <5 W

Parallel scanning of all ports in 500 ms; no need for dedicated switch
Requires deconvolution of measured signal to provide 6.25 GHz slices
required for attenuation control on Flexgrid WSS

2-4 port OCM

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To Summarise

Improved ROADM subsystems

(Dual WSS, Hybrid amplifiers, Flexgrid OCM, etc) will
enable future-proof ROADM Architectures
to provide transparent Wavelength Management
Capability for future 400 Gb/sec and 1 Tb/sec

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