Fabrication of 2 GHz-spaced 16-channel arrayed-waveguidegratingdemultiplexer for optical frequency monitoring applications

The authors report on the fabrication of a 2 GHz-spaced 16-channel arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) demultiplexer for monitoring the optical frequency of DWDM networks. This was achieved by employing a new AWG configuration, where the path of each arrayed waveguide winds backwards and forwards across a 4-inch diameter wafer without crossing any other waveguides. The loss and crosstalk values of the AWG were 4.5 to 6.8 dB and –23 to –20 dB, respectively, for all 16 channels.