Scalable asynchronous incoherent optical CDMA [Invited]

Feature Issue on Optical Code Division Multiple AccessWe present and review several aspects of incoherent optical code-division multiple access (OCDMA), focusing on the flexible bandwidth allocation and its potential for future optical networks. We briefly present the various OCDMA approaches, coherent and incoherent, before focusing on the later and more specifically temporal 1D and 2D wavelength-hopping time spreading. We then concentrate on the properties specific to such schemes allowing for its increased scalability and flexibility. The main coding properties are reviewed, and the multicode property for increased performance and security is described. Several subsystems are presented to allow the compatibility of OCDMA on multihop networks where the properties of OCDMA would allow shifting some management functions down to the physical layer creating an optical layer with enhanced functionalities.