173 picosecond wavelength switching of four WDM channels using an OTDM channel selector

Future optical networks will benefit from complementary applications of optical time division multiplexing (OTDM) and WDM technology [1]. One major technological benefit of OTDM lies in its fast switching and channel tuning capabilities. The sub-system technology in OTDM systems responsible for this is the low latency timeslot channel selector, which is required to precisely position the data in its assigned time slot at the transmission end or select the desired time slot at the receiving end. Various designs for fast OTDM channel selectors have been proposed and demonstrated [2, 3] - In this letter, we will present the application of an OTDM channel selector, using a single electro-optic modulator and a parallel structure of fiber delays [3], in selecting four different wavelength channels. We demonstrate switching between the different wavelength channels with an average latency of 173ps and a maximum latency of 320ps.