2013 Volume E96.C Issue 7 Pages 996-1002
The 10-gigabit Ethernet passive optical network (10G-EPON) is a promising candidate for the next generation of fiber-to-the-home access systems. In the symmetric 10G-EPON system, the gigabit Ethernet passive optical network (GE-PON) and 10G-EPON will have to co-exist on the same optical network. For this purpose, an optical triplexer (10G-transmitter, 1G-transmitter, and 10G/1G-receiver) for optical line terminal (OLT) transceivers in 10G/1G co-existing EPON systems has been developed. Reducing the size and cost of the optical triplexer has been one of the largest issues in the effort to deploy 10G-EPON systems for practical use. In this paper, we describe a novel small and low-cost dual-rate optical triplexer for use in 10G-EPON applications. By reducing the optical path length by means of a light collection system with a low-magnification long-focus coupling lens, we have successfully miniaturized the optical triplexer for use in 10G-EPON OLT 10-gigabit small form factor pluggable (XFP) transceivers and decreased the number of lenses. A low-cost design of sub-assemblies also contributes to cost reduction. The triplexer's performance complies with IEEE 802.3av specifications.
