Monolithically integrated eight-channel WDM modulators with cyclic AWGs for multichannel-block operation over C-band

The generation of a block with eight WDM signals and its wavelength switching operation over the whole C-band are demonstrated in a monolithically integrated WDM modulator with cyclic AWGs. A pair of the modulators can generate any wavelength signals within the entire C-band owing to the cyclic property of the AWG. This configuration enables switching the operating channel block for optical path routing and easily increasing the number of channels by arraying them in parallel. Error-free operation for 80 channels (8 channels×10 blocks) is achieved for 10 Gbit/s NRZ signals.