Optical Signal Multiplexing/Demultiplexing

Abstract

This chapter is dedicated to integrated or fiber devices which multiplex or demultiplex optical signals in wavelength, time or polarization. The need for signal multiplexing/demultiplexing had appeared from the necessity to increase the amount of information which can simultaneously be transmitted from a source to a receptor. In order to do this the different information channels must be separately identifiable — they must differ in wavelength, time sequence or polarization. At the same time, they should be transmitted simultaneously — generally through an optical fiber. The devices which combine and separate (multiplex and demultiplex) different information channels will be presented in the following.