Superchannel for next-generation optical networks

❑To enable sustainable communication capacity growth, the cost per information bit needs to be continuously reduced. ❑Superchannels, with their improved spectral efficiency and natural compatibility with large-scale photonic/electronic integration, are expected to be well suited to meet this demand. ❑Equipped with digital signal processing at both the transmitters and the receivers, superchannel-based transmission may play a key role in the future evolution of optical networks to support the ever-increasing demand for internet traffic and cloud services and enable software-defined optical networking.