Eight-wavelength Er-Yb doped amplifier: Combiner/splitter planar integrated module

We report the successful operation of a pigtailed eight-wavelength planar i ntegrated amplifying combiner. This device can be used in a splitter or in a combiner configuration. It consists in an 8 x I combiner and a 5.5-cm-lon g Er-Yb-doped waveguide amplifier. The module provides net gain simultaneou sly to the eight combined wavelengths in the 1531-1546-mn optical bandwidth . This module has been incorporated in an 8 x 2.5 Gb/s wavelength-division- multiplexed (WDM) system. The central wavelength was 1535 nm and the channe l spacing was 1 nm, Negative penalty for bit-error-rate performances (BER<1 0(-10)) has been measured for each wavelength. The results of the system pe rformance demonstrate the potential of the ion-exchange technology in provi ding cost effective integrated optic solutions for WDM networks application s.