Programmable optical delay generator with uniform output and double-delay capability

We demonstrate a programmable optical delay generation scheme incorporating both single- and double-pass configurations. The generator uses fiber coils with binary lengths separated by microelectro mechanical systems (MEMS)-based optical switches and can provide a delay range of up to 80 and 160 μs for single- and double-pass configurations, respectively, with corresponding resolutions of ∼39 and 78 ns. The response time of the delay generation is <1 ms with an output power variation of <0.3 dB as the delay varies. The described approach can be applied to packet-switching optical networks, microwave photonic networks, and measurement systems.