Mode-Unbundled ROADM and Bidirectional Mode Assignment for MDM Metro Area Networks

A mode-unbundled reconfigurable add/drop multiplexer (ROADM), composed of a fiber-based mode-multiplexer/demultiplexer pair and a multiport microelectromechanical systems switch, is proposed and experimentally characterized for higher data granularity in mode-division multiplexing (MDM) deployment of future metro area networks (MAN). For enabling mode-unbundling transmission, crosstalk reduction through bidirectional mode assignment is adopted. Finally, a 62-km MDM-MAN ring, composed of two mode-unbundled ROADMs and few-mode fiber spans, is experimentally demonstrated by taking advantage of bidirectionally mode assigned 40 Gb/s, 16-QAM signals.