Customized 40G 100G Optical Transceiver MUX/DEMUX Assemblies from China Suppliers and Factory
Arrayed Waveguide Grating Multiplexer/Demultiplexer is a core passive photonic component that integrates wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) functionality on a planar lightwave circuit, enabling simultaneous transmission/reception of multiple optical signals over a single fiber.
Core Definition & Dual Function
It is a planar lightwave circuit (PLC)-based device that leverages the diffraction and interference of light in an array of optical waveguides. As a MUX (Multiplexer), it combines multiple optical signals of different wavelengths into one fiber. As a DEMUX (Demultiplexer), it splits a combined multi-wavelength signal back into individual wavelength channels for separate processing.
Key Design & Core Components
Single-mode waveguides (typically 9/125 μm) that carry optical signals to/from the device, with channel counts ranging from 4 to 128 (or higher for dense WDM).
The core functional part—an array of parallel waveguides with precisely controlled length differences. These create phase shifts that diffract light at specific angles based on wavelength.
Two fan-shaped slab regions (input and output) that distribute light from the input waveguide to the arrayed waveguides, and collect diffracted light from the array to the output waveguides.
A silica glass or InP (Indium Phosphide) base that hosts all waveguides, ensuring dimensional stability and low optical loss.
Hermetic or semi-hermetic packaging with fiber pigtails (or FA-MT connectors) for external connections, and thermal management to maintain wavelength stability.
Critical Performance Traits
Typical Applications
Enables DWDM systems to multiply fiber capacity, supporting high-speed (10G/100G/400G) data transmission over hundreds of kilometers.
Used in data center interconnects (DCIs) and campus networks to consolidate fiber links, reducing cable complexity and cost.
Integrated into WDM transceivers (e.g., QSFP-DD, OSFP) for multi-wavelength parallel transmission, enhancing bandwidth per port.
Supports WDM-PON systems, enabling multiple users to share a single fiber with dedicated wavelengths.
Used to generate or analyze multi-wavelength optical signals for network validation.