A multiwavelength source having precise channel spacing for WDM systems

We report a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) source in which a combination of a periodically driven Mach-Zehnder modulator and a nonlinear fiber are used to generate an optical spectrum that consists of several wavelength components precisely spaced by 64 GHz (>0.5 nm). The 13 strongest spectral components are within a 10-dB optical power range and their performance as channel sources in a WDM transmitter have been evaluated. We also propose and demonstrate a technique to generate an optical spectrum in which the separation between the major components is four times the modulator drive frequency.