Recent progress of integrated optics planar lightwave circuits

Planar lightwave circuits (PLCs) are waveguide devices that integrate fiber-matched optical waveguides on silicon or glass substrate to provide an efficient means of interaction for the guided-wave optical signals. PLCs provide various important and functional devices for optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), time division multiplexing (TDM) systems and subscriber networks. This paper reviews the recent progress and future prospects of PLC technologies including arrayed-waveguide grating multiplexers, optical add/drop multiplexers, programmable dispersion equalizers and hybrid optoelectronics integration technologies.