Abstract

Wavelength-routing crossconnects are a major building block in WDM networks. A major limitation is the crosstalk generated by wavelength channels in proximity, forcing a larger channel spacing than desirable. For space-division switches, the crosstalk can be reduced by using the dilated-Benes design.¹ In this paper, the dilation concept is generalized to the wavelength dimension, resulting in a new class of dynamic wavelength routing crossconnects with much lower crosstalk characteristics. This design can alleviate the crosstalk problems in some of the existing wavelength routing switches such as that due to the coherent crosstalk of the acoustooptic tunable filters (AOTFs)² to allow a much closer channel spacing than is otherwise possible.

© 1992 Optical Society of America