Properties of widely-tunable integrated WDM sources and receivers

Summary form only given. For some applications in optical communications and spectroscopy, it is desirable to have sources and receivers that can emit or receive a wide range of wavelengths to or from a single waveguide. Although this can be accomplished with large arrays of lasers and detectors, some sort of dispersive combining structure is necessary to provide a single output. For tunable receivers, grating-assisted codirectional coupler (GACC) filters appear to provide the most desirable features. These continuously tunable structures have been integrated with preamplifiers and waveguide detectors to form complete receiver front ends. This paper will present recent experimental sidelobe levels, linewidths and tuning properties of these photonic ICs, and compare them to theoretical expectations.