Patent ID: 7447435

Claim:
A passive optical network comprising: a central office including a plurality of first reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers of a quantum-dot type, each of which generates a wavelength-seeded downstream optical signal on a downstream channel of a corresponding wavelength; a plurality of optical network units each of which includes a second reflective semiconductor optical amplifier of a multi-quantum-well type, the second reflective semiconductor optical amplifier generating a wavelength-seeded upstream optical signal on an upstream channel of a corresponding wavelength; and a remote node for demultiplexing and outputting the downstream optical signals to corresponding optical network units, and multiplexing and outputting the upstream optical signals to the central office, wherein the central office comprises: a downstream broadband light source for generating a downstream seed light; an upstream broadband light source for generating an upstream seed light; a plurality of upstream optical detectors for detecting upstream optical signals having corresponding wavelengths; a first multiplexer/demultiplexer for: demultiplexing the upstream optical signals such that each of the upstream optical signals has a central wavelength offset from its original central wavelength and outputting the demultiplexed upstream optical signals to corresponding upstream optical detectors, and dividing the downstream seed light into a plurality of downstream channels having different wavelengths and outputting the divided downstream seed light to corresponding first reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers; a plurality of first wavelength division multiplexers for connecting the ports of first multiplexer/demultiplexer to each of the upstream optical detectors and the first reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers; and an optical divider located between the first multiplexer/demultiplexer and the remote node and connected to the downstream and upstream broadband light sources.