SOA-assisted Sagnac switch and investigation of its roadmap from 10 to 40 GHz

Future broadband optical communications networks will rely on all-optical switches to perform a set of processing functions exclusively in the optical domain. Interferometric optical switches using semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) nonlinearities can perform efficient optical switching with few tens of fJ control energies and short fiber lengths allowing for monolithic integration. In this paper we present work performed with a three terminal SOA-assisted Sagnac interferometer. We review all-optical Boolean AND and XOR logic results at 10 GHz and 10 Gb/s for full duty cycle and pseudo-random data pattern operation, respectively, achieved with adequate contrast ratios, remarkably low switching energies and low pattern dependence. The ability of the device to be cascaded was proved up to 10 GHz by recirculating stably for hours arbitrary pattern profiles. Finally, and in view of the extension of photonic networks single channel data rates beyond 40 Gb/s, the performance of the switch was simulated in terms of its critical parameters. The obtained results showed that full switching operation at 40 GHz or higher is feasible either by deploying gain recovery reduction techniques in bulk and quantum well SOAs or alternatively other technologically advanced optical devices, such as quantum dot SOAs.     

研制超宽带全光取样示波器设备

全光取样示波器是研究与开发超高速光通信系统和光子交换网络的关键性测试仪器设备. 本文简介了我们自行设计和研制出的超宽带全光取样示波器设备的实验样机系统, 并报道了我们已取得的初步实验结果. 采用自主研发的高稳定性被动锁模飞秒光纤激光器作为该光学示波器的光脉冲取样源, 我们通过利用高度非线性光纤中的四波混频效应, 成功地实现了对脉宽为1.8ps、重复频率分别为10GHz和40GHz的光脉冲信号的全光取样. 然后通过数字信号处理和计算机图形处理, 得到了再现后的超短光脉冲信号波形, 并测出了其脉冲宽度值为2.3ps. 借助于该光学取样示波器实验样机, 我们还成功地完成了对脉宽为1.8ps、经过伪随机数据序列调制后的10Gbit/s和40Gbit/s光数据信号眼图的精确测量. 这是我国首次报道有关超宽带全光取样示波器设备的实际研制工作及其相应的实验测试结果. 所得到的有关超短光脉冲信号波形的测试结果也与用70GHz宽带电子示波器和超快光电探测器组成的常规光电测量系统所获得的结果进行了比较, 清楚地表明了我们研制出的全光取样示波器实验样机比后者具有更高的时间分辨率和更大的测量带宽.     

纳米光子学全光开关研究进展

全光开关是全光网络和数字光信息处理的基本器件,该器件主要基于非线性光学原理．自激光发明以来,对该器件的研究已历时半个世纪．虽然全光开关的基础研究十分活跃,研究成果丰硕,但是至今尚未做出实用器件．文章分析了全光开关面临的困难,指出只有在极小的时空条件下,也就是采用飞秒激光驱动的纳米尺寸器件,才有可能研制出低开关功率、高开关速度、低插入损耗的实用的全光开关器件．文章简要介绍了近10年来纳米全光开关的研究成果,包括纳米尺寸干涉仪开关（空间开关）、量子限制光双稳触发器（时间开关）、半导体光放大器的波长转换器（波长开关）、光子晶体带隙移动开关和表面等离子体激元开关（强度开关）等5类16种典型的纳米全光开关器件．     

Drive to miniaturization: integrated optical networks on mobile platforms

With rapid growth of the Internet, bandwidth demand for data traffic is continuing to explode. In addition, emerging and future applications are becoming more and more network centric. With the proliferation of data communication platforms and data-intensive applications (e.g. cloud computing), high-bandwidth materials such as video clips dominating the Internet, and social networking tools, a networking technology is very desirable which can scale the Internet’s capability (particularly its bandwidth) by two to three orders of magnitude. As the limits of Moore’s law are approached, optical mesh networks based on wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) have the ability to satisfy the large- and scalable-bandwidth requirements of our future backbone telecommunication networks. In addition, this trend is also affecting other special-purpose systems in applications such as mobile platforms, automobiles, aircraft, ships, tanks, and micro unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) which are becoming independent systems roaming the sky while sensing data, processing, making decisions, and even communicating and networking with other heterogeneous systems. Recently, WDM optical technologies have seen advances in its transmission speeds, switching technologies, routing protocols, and control systems. Such advances have made WDM optical technology an appealing choice for the design of future Internet architectures. Along these lines, scientists across the entire spectrum of the network architectures from physical layer to applications have been working on developing devices and communication protocols which can take full advantage of the rapid advances in WDM technology. Nevertheless, the focus has always been on large-scale telecommunication networks that span hundreds and even thousands of miles. Given these advances, we investigate the vision and applicability of integrating the traditionally large-scale WDM optical networks into miniaturized mobile platforms such as UAVs. We explain the benefits of WDM optical technology for these applications. We also describe some of the limitations of WDM optical networks as the size of a vehicle gets smaller, such as in micro-UAVs, and study the miniaturization and communication system limitations in such environments.     

Review of integrated optics

A tutorial introduction and a review are given of the field of integrated optics and optical guided-wave devices. Device principles and potential applications are discussed. The properties of dielectric waveguides are reviewed briefly and new materials and new fabrication techniques are mentioned. An illustration is given of recent work on devices. This includes a discussion of work on guided-wave modulators and switches with focus on devices made by titanium diffusion in lithium niobate. Mention is made of an experimental 4 × 4 switching network that was recently demonstrated in the laboratory. Other devices discussed are corrugated waveguide filters in which rejection bandwidths from 0.1 to 62% have been obtained. The paper concludes with a discussion of the use of guided-wave techniques in semiconductor junction lasers.     

A method of developing all-optical mono-stable multivibrator system exploiting the Kerr non-linearity of medium

Optics has already been established as a potential candidate for conduction of digital logic and arithmetic operation in communication and computation processes. Different proposals have been reported by different scientists to make optics meaningful signal for conduction of the above operations. As it is well known that the memory device is a basic building block of any computation and communication system hence developing systems such as digital memory, multivibrator, etc. are the obvious requirements for optical communication as well as computation systems also. As the role of switching devices is an essential part of any processing system, many proposals were seen where all-optical switches using the combination of linear and non-linear materials were used, to implement the logic elements.In this context, the authors propose a new scheme for implementation of an all-optical mono-stable multivibrator using the non-linear material based switches and high refractive index based material. This multivibrator can generate a time pulse of definite width.     

Photonic band structures of quadrangular multiconnected networks

By means of the network equation and generalized dimensionless Floquet-Bloch theorem,this paper investigates the properties of the band number and width for quadrangular multiconnected networks (QMNs) with a different number of connected waveguide segments (NCWSs) and various matching ratio of waveguide length (MRWL).It is found that all photonic bands are wide bands when the MRWL is integer.If the integer attribute of MRWL is broken,narrow bands will be created from the wide band near the centre of band structure.For two-segment-connected networks and three-segment-connected networks,it obtains a series of formulae of the band number and width.On the other hand,it proposes a so-called concept of two-segment-connected quantum subsystem and uses it to discuss the complexity of the band structures of QMNs.Based on these formulae,one can dominate the number,width and position of photonic bands within designed frequencies by adjusting the NCWS and MRWL.There would be potential applications for designing optical switches,optical narrow-band filters,dense wavelength-division-multiplexing devices and other correlative waveguide network devices.     

Light-driven molecular switches and motors

Technology is omnipresent in our modern-day society and it is hard to imagine a world without machines, computers or robots. One of the main current scientific challenges is the bottom-up construction of systems that represent nanosize analogues of switches, devices and motors. Our efforts in this area have focussed on the construction of devices based on sterically overcrowded alkenes. In this paper, we present our ongoing research on the construction of binary molecular switches, which has recently led to genuine molecular motors. The control of chirality in a molecular switching system allows interconversion between molecules of opposite helicity using different wavelengths of light. Such bistable chiral switches are of potential use in optical data storage and processing at the molecular level. The control of molecular chirality is even more subtle in the case of molecular motor systems. The exquisite control of chirality using light as an energy source has resulted in a controlled, repetitive 360° unidirectional rotation in two generations of molecular motor systems. Received: 21 January 2002 / Accepted: 11 February 2002 / Published online: 22 April 2002     

Optical detection using photodiodes

Linear photodiode-amplifier combinations will be required for optical communication systems, in particular for those using fibre optics as the transmission medium. The noise performance of photodiode-amplifier combinations is derived and presented, and some parameters affecting photodiode and first stage amplifier design are reviewed. It is shown that, of foreseen devices, silicon JFETs will be quietest as amplifier first stages for base bandwidths of up to 10 MHz, GaAs FETs up to 100 MHz and bipolar transistors will be preferred for broader bandwidths. In tuned applications the JFET is to be preferred up to 8 MHz and GaAs FETs will be the best devices above that frequency.     

Chalcogenide glass photonic crystals

All-optical switching devices are based on a material possessing a nonlinear optical response, enabling light to control light, and are enjoying renewed interest. Photonic crystals are a promising platform for realizing compact all-optical switches operating at very low power and integrated on an optical integrated circuit. In this review, we show that by making photonic crystals from a highly nonlinear chalcogenide glass, we have the potential to integrate a variety of active devices into a photonic chip. We describe the fabrication and testing of two-dimensional Ge₃₃As₁₂ Se₅₅ chalcogenide glass photonic crystal membrane devices (waveguides and microcavities). We then demonstrate the ability to post-tune the devices using the material photosensitivity. In one proposal we hope to introduce a double-heterostructure microcavity using the photosensitivity alone.     

Low crosstalk monolithic wavelength demultiplexing switch arrays

Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) is a key enabling technology for increasing the transmission capacity of optical fiber communication systems. Recently, a new family of optoelectronic devices, including detectors, switches, and emitters, that is based on resonant cavity enhancement, has emerged. Wavelength selective optoelectronic switching is achieved by placing a photothyristor in an asymmetric Fabry-Perot cavity, which provides a highly selective response at a wavelength determined during device fabrication. These WDM optoelectronic devices haue promising applications in optical COmmunications and optical logic circuits. Results on a N-p-n-p optoelectronic switch with a ten wavelength channel capability are presented.     

Ultrafast all-optical signal processing with Symmetric Mach–Zehnder type all-optical switches

We present Symmetric Mach–Zehnder (SMZ) type all-optical switches: an SMZ all-optical switch, a polarization-discriminating SMZ (PD-SMZ) all-optical switch, and a delayed interference signal wavelength converter (DISC). These switches are capable of ultrafast, low control power, and low chirp switching, which is not restricted by slow relaxation of highly efficient nonlinearities. High repetition operation unrestricted by slow relaxation is also possible for these switches. This is because of a push–pull modulation scheme or sometimes called a differential phase modulation scheme. These three devices are similar, but different in some important aspects, thus a comparison is made among the three. Then semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are discussed as a nonlinear phase shifter for these devices. Then, ultrafast all-optical signal processing using SOA based SMZs is demonstrated. Error-free demultiplexing from 168 to 10.5 Gbit/s is presented, in which a hybrid-integrated SMZ (HI-SMZ) is used as a demultiplexer. In pulse regeneration experiment, the signal pulses at 84 Gbit/s are regenerated by the PD-SMZ and the regenerated pulses are demultiplexed to 10.5 Gbit/s by the HI-SMZ to verify error-free operation. The retiming capability of this scheme is quantitatively demonstrated. Also presented is error-free all-optical wavelength conversion at 168 Gbit/s using the DISC. These results represent the fastest error-free operations reported to date in each category.     

The integrated prism interpretation of multileg Mach-Zehnder interferometers based on multimode interference couplers

To simplify the driving conditions as well as to improve the wavelength response of multileg Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI) based on multimode interference (MMI) couplers we develop a new interpretation of these devices. Used for optical switching and for wavelength filtering, they are shown to work as active or passive integrated prisms. This analogy greatly facilitates the design of such components and simplifies the understanding of their functionality. The driving conditions of optical switches based on such multileg MZI are easility studied and will be reduced to basic active phase shifts. For wavelength filtering applications using such elements, a new design of the phased waveguide array is proposed which improves the characteristics of the filters.     

Broadband matrix switches: Electro-optic or optoelectronic?

Photonic matrix switches using optical (directional coupler) and optoelectronic (photoconductor) principles are compared. It is concluded that, although broadband switching performance can be about equivalent for the individual devices, the optoelectronic matrix offers significant advantages in several important applications, particularly for large-scale broadband switching.     

Quantum dynamics of tight-binding networks coherently controlled by external fields

With some reviews on the investigations on the schemes for quantum state transfer based on spin systems, we discuss the quantum dynamics of magnetically-controlled networks for Bloch electrons. The networks are constructed by connecting several tight-binding chains with uniform nearest-neighbor hopping integrals. The external magnetic field and the connecting hopping integrals can be used to control the intrinsic properties of the networks. For several typical networks, rigorous results are shown for some specific values of external magnetic field and the connecting hopping integrals: a complicated network can be reduced into a virtual network, which is a direct sum of some independent chains with uniform nearest-neighbor hopping integrals. These reductions are due to the fermionic statistics and the Aharonov-Bohm effects. In application, we study the quantum dynamics of wave packet motion of Bloch electrons in such networks. For various geometrical configurations, these networks can function as some optical devices, such as beam splitters, switches and interferometers. When the Bloch electrons as Gaussian wave packets input these devices, various quantum coherence phenomena can be observed, e.g., the perfect quantum state transfer without reflection in a Y-shaped beam, the multi-mode entanglers of electron wave by star-shaped network, magnetically controlled switches, and Bloch electron interferometer with the lattice Aharonov-Bohm effects. With these quantum coherent features, the networks are expected to be used as quantum information processors for the fermion system based on the possible engineered solid state systems, such as the array of quantum dots that can be implemented experimentally.      

Pseudospark switches-technological aspects and application

We report results of the development of fast closing switches, so-called pseudospark switches, at Erlangen University. Two different parameter regimes are under investigation: medium power switches (32 kV anode voltage, 30 kA anode current and 0.02 C charge transfer per shot) for pulsed gas discharge lasers and high power switches (30 kV anode voltage, 400 kA anode current and 3.4 C charge transfer per shot) for high current applications. The lifetime of these switches is determined by erosion of the cathode. The total charge transfer of devices with one discharge channel is about 220 kC for the medium and 27 kC for the high power switch. At currents exceeding 45 kA a sudden increase in erosion rate was observed. Multichannel devices are suited to increase lifetime as the current per channel can be reduced. Successful experiments with radial and coaxial arrangements of the discharge channels were performed. In these systems the discharge channels move due to magnetic forces. A skilful use of this phenomena will result in a considerably increase of switch lifetime. Multigap devices enable an increase of anode voltage. A three gap switch has run reliably at an anode voltage of 70 kV     

Chirped fibre Bragg grating based multiplexer and demultiplexer for DWDM applications

A multiplexer/demultiplexer for 100 GHz channel spacing based on chirped fibre Bragg gratings with different bandwidths and optical circulators is presented. The spectral characteristics, specifications and operation of these passive devices are described, showing its potential use in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) applications.     

基于太赫兹光非对称解复用器结构的低开关能量、高线性度全光采样门实验研究

利用多量子阱结构的非线性半导体光放大器(SOA)构建的太赫兹光非对称解复用器(TOAD), 实验实现了一个开关能量低至25 fJ, 线性度高达0.99的全光采样门. 详细分析了采样脉冲功率和非对称偏移量分别对采样窗口形状、宽度和幅度的影响, 并研究了不同采样窗口宽度下TOAD的开关能量及线性度的变化规律.     

Photoconductive semiconductor switches

Optically activated GaAs switches operated in their high-gain mode are being used or tested for pulsed power applications as diverse as low-impedance, high-current firing sets in munitions; high impedance, low-current Pockels cell or Q-switch drivers for lasers; high-voltage drivers for laser diode arrays; high-voltage, high-current, compact accelerators; and pulsers for ground penetrating radar. This paper will describe the properties of high-gain photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS), and how they are used in a variety of pulsed power applications. For firing sets, we have switched up to 7 kA in a very compact package. For driving Q switches, the load is the small (30 pF) capacitance of the Q switch which is charged to 6 kV. We have demonstrated that we can modulate a laser beam with a subnanosecond rise time. Using PCSS, we have demonstrated gain switching a series-connected laser diode array, obtaining an optical output with a peak power of 50 kW and a pulse duration of 100 ps. For accelerators, we are using PCSS to switch a 260 kV, 60 kA Blumlein. A pulser suitable for use in ground-penetrating radar has been demonstrated at 100 kV, 1.3 kA. This paper will describe the specific project requirements and switch parameters in all of these applications, and emphasize the switch research and development that is being pursued to address the important issues     

Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based tree architecture for all-optical logic and arithmetic operations

Interferometric devices for optical processing have been of great interest in recent years. Semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) has already taken a significant role in the field of ultra-fast all-optical signal processing. Optical tree architecture (OTA) provides important contributions in optical interconnecting networks. In this communication, we have tried to exploit the advantages of both OTA and SOA-based MZI switches. We have proposed SOA-MZI-based tree architecture, a new and alternative scheme, for integrated all-optical logic and arithmetic operations. This architecture can enable one to perform all-optical processing of signals, including two input logic operations, half-adder, full-adder, full-subtractor, one-bit data comparator, etc.