Experimental Demonstration of Channel Routing of Microwave Signals Sharing an Optical Link by Using a Tunable Optical Band-Pass Filter

Abstract

The imperative need to share an optical link to optimize its use among multiple users for data distribution continues to be a topic of technological challenge. In this regard, it is well known that one of the most common techniques is the WDM technology. However, this paper describes a technical alternative that enables channel routing for data sharing over an optical link between two users using a tunable Optical Band-Pass (OBP) filter. This proposal is experimentally validated. To demonstrate the viability of this approach, microwave signals are used as data. The selected microwave signal is wirelessly transmitted at the end of the optical link. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) parameter measure is adopted to evaluate the quality of each microwave signal, achieving an average SNR of 37.01dB. This proposal is validated for microwave signals within the S-band (2 to 4 GHz), however, this frequency interval can be expanded. Potentially, this approach allows the sharing of optical fiber among multiple users to deliver services via wireless links in indoor environments.