WDM channel wavelength monitoring by periodically modulating the AWG temperature

We have presented a simultaneous WDM channel wavelength monitoring method by periodically modulating the arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) temperature. This method provides crossover-wavelengths with very small attenuations compared with adjacent transmission peaks. Thus the monitoring error owing to the ASE can be decreased substantially. Moreover, one WDM channel can be monitored using one AWG output port enabling the use of standard AWGs. The temperature modulated AWG can work also as a multi-channel wavelength locker as well as the multi-channel wavelength monitor.