Book excerpt: Code-division multiple access (CDMA) technology has been widely adopted in cell phones. Its astonishing success has led many to evaluate the promise of this technology for optical networks. This field has come to be known as Optical CDMA (OCDMA). Surveying the field from its infancy to the current state, Optical Code Division Multiple Access: Fundamentals and Applications offers the first comprehensive treatment of OCDMA from technology to systems. The book opens with a historical perspective, demonstrating the growth and development of the technologies that would eventually evolve into today's optical networks. Building on this background, the discussion moves to coherent and incoherent optical CDMA coding techniques and performance analysis of these codes in fiber optic transmission systems. Individual chapters provide detailed examinations of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) technology including theory, design, and applications; coherent OCDMA systems; and incoherent OCDMA systems. Turning to implementation, the book includes hybrid multiplexing techniques along with system examples and conversion techniques to connect networks that use different multiplexing platforms, state-of-the-art integration technologies, OCDMA network security issues, and OCDMA network architectures and applications, including a look at possible future directions. Featuring contributions from a team of international experts led by a pioneer in optical technology, Optical Code Division Multiple Access: Fundamentals and Applications places the concepts, techniques, and technologies in clear focus for anyone working to build next-generation optical networks.