Realization of Multicore Fiber Reconfigurable Optical Add–Drop Multiplexer

Space-division multiplexing (SDM) is a calling for devices that fully replace their single-mode fiber counterparts. Fast optical switches represent one such type of key devices. In this letter, we present a free-space optical add-drop multiplexer for multicore fiber (MCF) optical communications. Microelectromechanical mirrors were used as the optical switching element. We first detail the implementation steps leading to the proposed device and then characterize its performance in terms of crosstalk and insertion loss. Overall average crosstalk is around -38 dB, while insertion losses remain large. The device investigated here is another step towards the practical adoption of SDM for optical networks based on MCFs.