A new type of small size acousto-optic tunable filter with super narrow optical linewidth

The new concept of the creation of an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) with super-resolution and small size is discussed. The advantage of the device is based on the use of a novel type of multi reflector beam expander that produces a highly collimated optical beam (angular spread about 100 ppm), tilted with a change in optical wavelength. The proposed AOTF, 1 cm in length, can have an optical linewidth about 0.1 nm and up to 400 tunable channels at a wavelength of 1540 nm. It can be utilized as a tunable filter for dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) in fiber optic networks and as a small-sized tunable optical spectrometer, for example, in sensors of gases, liquids and solids. The acousto-optic tunable filter can be developed by known technology developed for the creation of integrated optics and microelectronics devices. Received: 28 April 2001 / Revised version: 22 August 2001 / Published online: 2 November 2001     

Experimental observation of tunable wavelength down- and up-conversions of ultra-short pulses in a periodically poled LiNbO3 waveguide

All-optical tunable wavelength conversion of ps-pulses is proposed and experimentally demonstrated by use of cascaded sum- and difference frequency generation (cSFG/DFG) in a periodically poled LiNbO₃ (PPLN) waveguide. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise is effectively suppressed by employing two tunable filters. As a result, tunable wavelength down- and up-conversions are simultaneously observed. The temporal evolutions of the signal, pump, control and idler waves propagating along the PPLN waveguide are simulated. From the temporal waveforms and optical spectra in the simulations, it is interesting to find that continuous wave (CW) pump and control are evolved into optical pulses during the cSFG/DFG nonlinear interactions. Moreover, some new sidebands in the output pump spectrum are observed both in the simulations and experiments.     

Experimental demonstration on 40 Gbit/s all-optical multicasting logic XOR gate for NRZ-DPSK signals using four-wave mixing in highly nonlinear fiber

We propose and demonstrate all-optical multicasting logic XOR gate for non-return-to-zero differential phase-shift keying (NRZ-DPSK) signals by using non-degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) in a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). Theoretical analysis regarding the operation principle of NRZ-DPSK logic XOR gate is clearly described by deriving an analytical solution under the non-depletion approximation. The NRZ-DPSK logic XOR operation is attributed to the linear relationship of complex amplitudes between converted idlers and input NRZ-DPSK signals. By using three non-degenerate FWM processes in an HNLF, 40 Gbit/s all-optical multicasting logic XOR gate for NRZ-DPSK signals are successfully demonstrated in the experiment.     

Modeling and design of an optimized patterned electrode liquid crystal microlens array with dielectric slab

To eliminate the occurrence of disclination lines in the hole patterned electrode liquid crystal microlens array (LC MLA), inserting an ultrathin dielectric slab was proved to be an effective method. The thickness of the dielectric slab played an important role in effecting the optical performance of the liquid crystal microlens array device, including the dynamic focal range, focus diameter and symmetry of phase profile. In this paper, we studied the effect of dielectric slab thickness on the optical performance of the liquid crystal microlens array by numerical simulation. It is indicated that the optical performance of the device could be improved by reducing the dielectric slab thickness, assuming that the dielectric slab thickness was larger than the threshold thickness. The dependence of the threshold thickness on some key parameters was investigated and the associated effect on the optical performance by changing these key parameters was also studied. In the end, the approaches to enhance the optical performance, namely the dynamic focal range of the liquid crystal microlens array was proposed and proved to be in effect by numerical simulation results.     

Parameter Study on Far-Field Sub-Diffraction-Limited Hyperlens

Influence of hyperlens structure parameters, such as curvature radius and layer number, and incident wavelength on the beam propagation is numerically investigated by FDTD. It is found that the intensity and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the output beam can be controlled by the structure parameters and operating wavelength. The optimized structureparameters and operating wavelength are obtained, which will be of great significance in design and fabrication of optical hyperlens with high resolution.     

Replicated data-matrix array generators

The fabrication and replication of binary spot array generators using 4 and 16 levels gratings is investigated. The elements are designed using iterative Fourier transform algorithm and fabricated by electron-beam lithography. Finally elements are copied by fabricating nickel shims and using hot embossing technique. In each step the optical signals are measured and signals are characterized using bit error rate as a measure of quality. The results show that although 16 level element gives theoretically superior performance, the bit error rate is much lower (∼0.2%) for replicated 4 level elements than for their 16 level counterparts (∼9%).     

Theoretical Study of SOA-Based Wavelength Conversion with NRZ and RZ Format at 40 Gb/s

We theoretically discuss 40 Gb/s semiconductor optical amplifier （SOA）-based wavelength conversion （WC） using a detuning optical bandpass Jilter based on ultrafast dynamic characteristics of SOA. Both the inverted and noninverted WCs are obtained by shifting the filter central wavelength with respect to the probe wavelength when input data signal is in return-to-zero （RZ） format. However, we can obtain format conversion from nonreturn- to-zero （NRZ） to pseudo-return-to-zero （PRZ） and inverted WC when the input signal is in NRZ format.     

Analysis of a polarisation-maintaining NOLM switch for OTDM applications

We propose a polarisation-maintaining NOLM switch design to be used as optical regenerator or wavelength converter in dense optical time-division multiplexed (OTDM) systems. The Sagnac loop is made of a piece of high birefringence fibre which is cut and cross-spliced in the middle. If pump and probe polarisations are linear and aligned in the co-propagating direction, the cross-splice ensures that the counter-propagating probe beam will be orthogonal to the pump, so that the parasitic cross-phase modulation between counter-propagating beams is minimised. This architecture also allows easy control of the optical phase bias, through squeezing a short section of the fibre, without any other modification of the setup. The performances of the proposed architecture are studied analytically and numerically, and compared with those of conventional schemes. It appears that, although the proposed setup reduces the interaction between counter-propagating beams only by a factor 3, it yields an extinction ratio improvement of a factor 10 or higher in comparison with conventional schemes. If there is substantial walkoff between pump and probe, a 10-fold reduction of the relative intensity noise of the emerging signal is also obtained when the mark ratio of the incoming data is variable.     

Generation of 60-GHz Millimetre Wave with 20-GHz DSB Optical

A new scheme to generate a 60-GHz millimetre （mm） wave by tripling the frequency of the 20-GHz DSB optical mm wave is proposed. According to our analysis and numerical simulation of transmission along a fibre, this scheme can not only eliminate code form distortion, but also reduces the influence of fading effect as it transmits along the fibre. Therefore, the radio-over-fibre link based on the generated optical ram-wave signal has better performance.     

Optical substrate thickness measurement system using hybrid fiber-freespace optics and selective wavelength interferometry

Proposed and demonstrated is a simple few components non-contact thickness measurement system for optical quality semi-transparent samples such as Silicon (Si) and 6H Silicon Carbide (SiC) optical chips used for designing sensors. The instrument exploits a hybrid fiber-freespace optical design that enables self-calibrating measurements via the use of confocal imaging via single mode fiber-optics and a self-imaging type optical fiber collimating lens. Data acquisition for fault-tolerant measurements is accomplished via a sufficiently broadband optical source and a tunable laser and relevant wavelength discriminating optics. Accurate sample thickness processing is achieved using the known material dispersion data for the sample and the few (e.g., 5) accurately measured optical power null wavelengths produced via the sample etalon effect. Thicknesses of 281.1 μm and 296 μm are measured for given SiC and Si optical chips, respectively.     

Single-SOA-Based Ultrahigh-Speed All-Optical Half Subtracter with PolSK Modulated Signals

A novel ultrahigh-speed all-optical half subtracter based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is proposed. This scheme only requires a single SOA and two input signals without additional light source, so it is quite simple and compact. Due to the polarization-shift-keying (PolSK) modulated signals being used in this scheme, pattern-dependent degradation can be avoided. By numerical simulation, dependence of the critical factors of the logic gate performance, e.g., the output power of logic 1 and extinction ratio (ER), on two input signals power is investigated. In addition, the effect of the gain polarization dependence of SOA is analysed.     

Investigation of thermo-mechanical behaviour of diffractive optical elements for CO2 lasers

Phase diffractive optical elements are at present proposed for use with infrared high power lasers, for material surface treatment applications. However, the heating of the component exposed to several kilowatts per square centimetre can be a problem for practical implementation. The deformations due to thermal expansion of a gold binary diffraction grating under high power CO₂ laser exposure at 10.6 μm are estimated by a Finite Element Method. They are compared to the geometrical tolerances obtained by a rigorous electromagnetic Fourier modal method which is used to calculate the optical performances. Several exposure parameters (duration, average laser power) and grating parameters (period, line space ratio) are investigated. The laser exposure should be limited to a few milliseconds with a power density on the grating of 10⁴ W/cm², so that the amplitude of the deformations does not exceed the 75 nm tolerance on the grating depth. One is thus assured that the diffraction efficiency in the first order remains superior to 38.5%.     

Narrow band filters in both transmission and reflection with metal/dielectric thin films

We present a novel narrow band filter operating in both transmission and reflection for the first time to our knowledge. This proposed structure consists of one unsymmetrical dielectric Fabry-Perot cavity and an ultrathin metal film with n ≈ k. Theoretical analysis shows that both the reflectance and transmittance at the central wavelength are maximums. Due to the high absorption induced by the metal, a good rejection level can be obtained for a wide spectral range. In addition, the changes of peak value ratio R_max/T_max is also investigated by adjusting the amount of dielectric stacks. We finally demonstrate the experimental results to verify these designs.     

基于线性光放大器的全光逻辑异或门理论分析

基于速率方程建立了线性光放大器(LOA)的数值模型,模拟了线性光放大器的增益钳制特性。与对称结构马赫曾德尔干涉仪(MZI)的传输矩阵相结合,构建了线性光放大器马赫曾德尔干涉仪全光逻辑异或门模型,实现了两路40Gbit/s信号的异或运算。与传统的半导体光放大器(SOA)构成的马赫曾德尔干涉仪型异或门进行了比较,从器件结构上对两种异或门运算结果的差异给出了解释。结果表明,线性光放大器具有平坦的增益特性,对输入信号的扰动具有不敏感性,垂直光场缩短了载流子恢复时间;线性光放大器马赫曾德尔干涉仪结构可以实现异或运算;利用差分相位法可以解决载流子恢复时间对信号处理速度的限制,合理地选择延迟时间能获得较好的运算结果;输出信号具有眼图张开度大、消光比高、峰值啁啾小、对波长变化不敏感等优点。     

Semiconductor-Optical-Amplifier-Based Inverted and Non-Inverted Wavelength Conversion at 40 Gb/s Using a Detuning Optical Bandpass Filter

We experimentally demonstrate 40Gb/s semiconductor-optical-amplifier-based tunable wavelength conversion （WC） using a detuning optical bandpass filter. Both inverted and non-inverted WCs are obtained by shifting the filter central wavelength with respect to the probe wavelength. When the filter is red shifted by 0.4nm or blue shifted by 0.3nm, the WC is non-inverted. However, when the filter is blue shifted by 0.1 nm, the WC is inverted. It is experimentally demonstrated that the WC has a tunable range covering the C-band.     

Experimental generation of high-contrast Talbot images with an ultrashort laser pulse

A femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser oscillator emitting pulses with 800 nm central wavelength, 10.9 fs pulse width, and 75 MHz repetition rate, combined with a dispersion-compensated diffractive system, was used to implement a large-area, high-contrast, broadband optical interference technique based on the Talbot effect. Chromatic artifacts associated with the huge spectrum of the optical source (approximately 150 nm) are compensated for with an air-separated hybrid diffractive-refractive lens doublet. The spatial resolution of the chromatically compensated Talbot images under femtosecond illumination is nearly identical to that achieved under continuous wave monochromatic illumination. Furthermore, the temporal width of the signal at the Talbot planes is limited by the group-delay-dispersion coefficient which is shown to be small. High-contrast one-dimensional periodic structures of 96.1 μm spacing generated by Talbot diffractometry are experimentally demonstrated.     

Comparison of polarization-mode dispersion tolerances in polarization-multiplexing systems with different modulation formats

The polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) tolerance of 10 Gb/s polarization-multiplexing (PM) system is investigated. Using the importance sampling (IS) method, the outage probabilities of the PM systems with three modulation formats, including on-off keying (OOK), differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) and differential quadrature phase-shift keying (DQPSK), are quantified. When the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise is assumed to be dominant, we evaluate the optical power penalties caused by the PMD effect at bit error rate (BER) of 10⁻¹². The performance of compensated PM systems with variable optical delay line is also described. The simulation results indicate that the OOK signal with higher duty cycle (DC) performs better in the PM systems with PMD compensation. It is found that the higher-order PMD impairs seriously the performance of the PM system, and phase-keying formats are more sensitive to the PMD than the OOK.     

High-Order Ultrawideband Pulse Generation from NRZ-DPSK Signals

A simple method to generate ultrawideband （UWB） doublet and triplet from nonreturn-to-zero （NRZ） differential phase shift keying （DPSK） signals is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed configuration consists of a Mach-Zehnder modulator （MZM） to generate NRZ-DPSK signals, a section of single-mode fibre to form a microwave bandpass filter, which is used to generate doublet pulses, and a Gaussian optical bandpass filter （OBF）, which serves as a frequency discriminator to generate higher-order UWB pulses. A pair of polarity- reversed triplet pulses is achieved by locating the optical carrier at the positive and negative linear Mopes of the OBF, where the OBF detuning is 0.12nm and -0.2 nm, respectively. The spectra of the pair of UWB triplets have a central frequency of 5 GHz and 5.6 GHz, and have a -10 dB bandwidth of 6.9 GHz and 8.1 GHz, respectively. The UWB pulses remain doublet shape when the light wavelength is located at the peak of the OBF. The spectrum of the doublet has a central frequency of 5.6 GHz and a -10 dB bandwidth of 6.9 GHz.     

Power control of optical CDMA star networks

In this paper, we apply the power control concept to optical CDMA star networks. Two approaches are considered, namely, centralized and distributed power control. Both approaches are used to optimize the optical transmit power and to maximize network capacity in terms of the number of users satisfying a target signal to interference (SIR) ratio. Centralized algorithms result in the optimum power vector while distributed algorithms are more suitable for practical system implementation and eliminate the need for a centralized control node. Both analytical and simulation results show significant improvement in the performance of the power controlled optical CDMA system. For instance, in a network of 31 nodes, a doubling of the capacity as compared to the non power control case is obtained. Furthermore, we show in the interference-limited case that the network performance is upper bounded by the number of nodes and the correlation properties of the employed code rather than network attenuation and optical fiber lengths. The concept of network partitioning is then introduced to simplify optimum power calculations. Using network partitioning, we find in the interference-limited case that the optical fibers after the star coupler are irrelevant to the optimum power evaluation.     

Temperature-Insensitive Fibre-Optic Acceleration Sensor Based on Intensity-Referenced Fibre Bragg Gratings

A temperature-insensitive acceleration sensor using two fibre Bragg gratings （FBGs）, based on reflection spectrum intensity modulation and optical power detection, is proposed and demonstrated. A cantilever beam is used to generate acceleration-induced axial strain along two sensing gratings, which are glued on the two opposite surfaces of the beam. Because the two gratings operate within the linear spectral range of a light source, formed by a thermally-tunable extrinsic Fabry-Perot optical filter, the intensity difference of the two reflections from the gratings is proportional to the acceleration applied. This eliminates the need for sophisticated wavelength interrogation of the gratings, and it also endows the sensor with immunity to temperature variation. Compared with a commercial micromachined accelerometer, the sensor is proven to be capable of accurately detecting acceleration.