Three degree ROADM node design using different Wavelength Selective Switch placement

Recent developments in Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS) technologies offer bandwidth efficiency and routing flexibility to Reconfigurable Optical Add and Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) nodes. For the first time in our knowledge we compare two architectures to design a ROADM node based on WSS placement. Extinction ratio and sideband suppression have been evaluated and compared to choose the well-adapted architecture for a 3 degree ROADM node.