Crosstalk analysis of FBG-based bidirectional optical crossconnects

We present an analytical model to examine the impact of both coherent and incoherent in-band crosstalk of our earlier proposed bidirectional optical crossconnects (BOXCs) on the power penalty of bit error rate. We use the Monte Carlo simulation to characterize the power penalty probability distribution due to the crosstalk under various conditions. We show that the decrease in the reflectivity of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) at the Bragg wavelength and in the isolation of FBGs and the increase in the number of WDM channels, all lead to increased probability of higher power penalty. Based on the simulation results, we can obtain the specification requirements for the reflectivity and isolation of the FBGs used in BOXC nodes. Our investigation finds that the requirement for the isolation of FBGs is more stringent than that for the reflectivity. of FBGs at the Bragg wavelength. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.