Selective-Broadcast Optical Passive Star Coupler Design for Dense WDM Networks

In this work, we describe a technique for design and implementation of an integrated selective-broadcast passive optical star coupler that uses a space-varying refractive index slab. The coupler offers the potential for inexpensive implementation of various routing schemes. In the design fabric of this bandwidth-selective coupler, we can incorporate a network traffic routing matrix. The matrix may resemble any desired physical cross connection for routing user traffic. As an example, we describe a shuffle-exchange cross-connect implementation in detail. We show how this specific routing matrix can be built into the coupler fabric. Such a coupler has application in dense wavelength division multiplexed optical passive star networks where a selective or limited-broadcast coupling capability is desirable, e.g., for distribution of video on demand.