Characterization of a 16-Channel Optical/Electronic Selector for Fast Packet-Switched WDMA Networks

We report the demonstration of a 16-channel optical/electronic selector for applications in fast packet-switched wavelength division multi-access networks. The selector chip has four differential transimpedance amplifiers with each amplifier shared by four photodetectors, giving a total of 16 channels selected by two stages of MESFET switches. The channel switching time is approximately 10 ns. No appreciable crosstalk is observed from neighboring channels in the first-stage switches, and a 0.35 dB crosstalk penalty is measured through the second-stage switches at a BER of 10-9 with-20 dBm average optical power in the interference channel. The selector can also be reconfigured as an un switched four-channel array receiver. © 1994 IEEE