Abstract

Recent progress in the development of high-speed lightwave components has made subcarrier multiplexing (SCM)¹ an attractive technique for multi-channel lightwave networks. SCM-based networks can support data throughputs of several Gb/s without using high-speed switching or sophisticated optical devices. In this paper we describe a demonstration of a SCM-based bidirectional distribution system in which 8 remote nodes are connected to a head-end through a 1×8 passive fiber coupler. Wideband services for the 8 nodes (8×180 Mb/s) are transmitted from a single head-end laser using 8 frequency-shift keyed (FSK) subcarrier channels. Each node returns data to the head-end using a separate laser and a unique subcarrier frequency.

© 1988 Optical Society of America