Characterization and optimization of SOA-based UNI recirculating shift register switching window

The operation of an all-optical recirculating shift register implemented with the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer (UNI) in a counter-propagating, inverting configuration is methodically studied and analyzed. This is achieved by applying an appropriate model for a SOA deployed as the nonlinear element in an interferometric switch driven by ultrafast and strong feedback optical pulses. By means of numerical simulation the impact of the critical functional parameters on the formation of the switching window is thoroughly investigated and assessed enabling to provide useful design rules for their proper selection and combination so as to optimize the specific metric and ensure high performance. The undertaken theoretical treatment can be extended for characterizing other more complex all-optical circuits and subsystems of enhanced functionality that employ this type of shift register as the key building module.     

Theoretical analysis and performance investigation of ultrafast all-optical Boolean XOR gate with semiconductor optical amplifier-assisted Sagnac interferometer

A comprehensive theoretical model of an ultrafast all-optical Boolean XOR gate implemented with a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-assisted Sagnac interferometer is presented. The model accounts for the SOA small signal gain, linewidth enhancement factor and carrier lifetime, the switching pulses energy and width and the Sagnac loop asymmetry. By undertaking a detailed numerical simulation, the influence of these key parameters on the metrics that determine the quality of switching is thoroughly investigated and simple design rules are extracted for their proper selection so as to ensure optimum operation. The obtained results are in good agreement with the published experimental measurements and confirm the feasibility of realizing the gate at 10 Gb/s with fairly high performance. The model can be extended for studying more complex all-optical circuits of enhanced functionality in which the XOR gate is the basic building block.     

Q-factor assessment of SOA-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer

The performance of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer (UNI) gated by an ultra high speed pseudorandom binary sequence is theoretically analyzed. For this purpose, a comprehensive model formed by a set of equations that describe the gain and phase evolution inside a SOA deployed as the nonlinear element in an interferometric switch is appropriately applied to this particular configuration. By undertaking a detailed numerical simulation, the impact of the SOA and input data key parameters on the Q-factor is thoroughly investigated and assessed enabling to extract useful design rules for their proper selection so as to optimize this metric. The calculations confirm the experimental evidence that the main technical limitation is imposed by the SOA carrier lifetime, which must be reduced below the bit period in order to avoid the deleterious consequences of the pattern effect on the switched-out pulses. Provided that this condition is satisfied and the rest of the parameters fulfill their specified requirements, the output amplitude fluctuations can be effectively eliminated resulting in a high quality eye diagram and error-free operation. The adopted model can be exploited for studying more sophisticated all-optical circuits and subsystems of enhanced functionality that rely critically on the SOA-based UNI as switching module.     

On the output characteristics of a semiconductor optical amplifier driven by an ultrafast optical time division multiplexing pulse train

A comprehensive theoretical analysis of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) that is subject to an ultrafast optical time division multiplexing pulse stream is presented with the help of a simple but efficient model developed for this purpose. The model combines the necessary set of mathematical equations with the appropriate simplifying assumptions to describe in the time domain gain saturation and recovery for the case of multiple incoming pulses. In this manner, analytical expressions can be obtained for the power and chirp profile of the amplified pulses, essentially extending the work that has been performed for a single pulse only. This allows to identify the critical operational parameters and to investigate and evaluate their effect on these two output characteristics. The derived simulation curves are thoroughly studied to specify the limitations imposed on the SOA small signal gain and carrier lifetime as well as on the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) and energy of the input pulses and, based on a series of logical arguments, to extract useful rules concerning their selection so as to achieve improved performance with respect to the practical applications of all-optical switching and pulse compression. The obtained results indicate that due to the continuous insertion of pulses, the requirements for the SOA small signal gain and the input pulse energy are stringent than those for the case of isolated pulse amplification. The combination of these two parameters determines also the regime in which the amplifier must be biased to operate in order to ensure distortionless pulse amplification and enhanced chirp for efficient pulse compression and it has been found that low saturation is necessary for the former case whilst heavy saturation for the latter. The scopes of the corresponding requirements for the carrier lifetime and the FWHM are also tight but to a less extent and can be simply satisfied with the available photonics technology. These results are in good agreement with the available experimental data essentially proving the validity and robustness of the model. The model can be thus applied to predict the behavior of more complex all-optical circuits of enhanced functionality in which the SOA is the basic functional device.     

NRZ码全光帧头识别器研究

提出了一种基于太赫兹非对称光解复用器结构的NRZ码全光帧头识别方案.通过注入辅助的连续光,解决了信号在SOA中的竞争,实现三态到两态的转换.对40 Gb/s信号的数值分析表明,这种方案可获得消光比为13.29 dB的判决识别信号输出.对非线性相移差偏离的影响进行了分析,结果表明如果限制非线性相移差的偏离小于0.1 rad,仍然可获得消光比13 dB以上的判决识别信号输出.对2.5 Gb/s帧头信号的判决实验表明,理论分析结果与实验相符.     

All-optical logic AND-NOR gate with three inputs based on cross-gain modulation in a semiconductor optical amplifier

We report the realization of a novel all-optical logic AND-NOR gate based on cross-gain modulation (XGM). The used scheme requires only one SOA to perform the logic gate with three input signals. A 8.5 dB dynamic extinction ratio with a switching time of about 650 ps for the rise time and 100 ps for the fall time.     

On the feasibility of full pattern-operated all-optical XOR gate with single semiconductor optical amplifier-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer

The possibility of implementing an ultrafast all-optical XOR gate using a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer (UNI) is theoretically investigated and demonstrated. For this purpose a comprehensive model that characterizes the performance of a SOA when it is successively driven by two strong pseudorandom binary sequences is applied to simulate the specific module under dual rail switching mode of operation. In this manner an extensive set of curves is obtained allowing to analyze and evaluate the impact of the input data, SOA and interferometer critical parameters on the fully loaded Q-factor. Their thorough study and interpretation reveals that the satisfaction of their requirements in order to render acceptable this metric is feasible from a technological perspective and thus if their selection is made according to the extracted guidelines then pattern-free and error-free modulo-2 arithmetic can be straightforwardly realized at 20 Gb/s. This prediction can be of practical interest in simplifying and assisting the design of more sophisticated interconnections of enhanced combinatorial and sequential functionality in which the XOR gate is the core logical unit.     

Effect of amplified spontaneous emission on semiconductor optical amplifier based all-optical logic

The performances of all-optical logic gates XOR, AND, OR, NOR and NAND based on semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) have been simulated including the effects of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). For the parameters used, all-optical logic gates using SOA are capable of operating at speed of 80 Gb/s.     

Single SOA based all-optical adder assisted by optical bandpass filter: Theoretical analysis and performance optimization

A simple and compact configuration of all-optical adders implemented with a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and optical bandpass filter (OBF) is presented in this paper. A comprehensive SOA model is put forward to investigate the output characteristics of the all-optical adders. The numerical simulation results demonstrate the influence of these key parameters, including input pulse peak power, pulsewidth, repetition rate, and OBF characteristics. Moreover some design rules are extracted for the proper selection of these parameters so as to ensure optimum performance. The obtained results confirm the feasibility of our configuration.     

All-optical circular shift register based on semiconductor optical amplifiers

We present a new and potentially integrable scheme to realize an all-optical circulating shift register consisting of a fiber-loop based optical buffer (OB) and an optical AND gate. The OB is implemented using semiconductor optical amplifier as a nonlinear element and the AND gate is realized by means of four wave mixing effect in a semiconductor optical amplifier. The operation of the shift register has been verified for a 10-bit input sequence at a sequence bit rate of 2.5 GHz and 10 GHz respectively. The simulation results show that \(\hbox {BER}=10^{-9}\) is achieved at optical signal-to-noise (OSNR) ratio of 16dB at the shift register output. The dependence of the output quality factor ( \(Q\) -factor) on SOA parameters is also investigated and discussed.     

OPS网络中SOA交换矩阵的串扰研究

通过对光开关和节点流量进行建模,利用新颖的等效串扰系数法,研究了基于XGM效应的SOA开关矩阵在OPS网络中的串扰问题.分析了SOA的各种参量以及节点流量特性对开关隔离度、节点中由串扰造成的误码率以及节点级联能力的影响.提出了优化SOA交换矩阵的具体措施,包括提高SOA的载流子寿命、控制脉冲能量和节点中流量的单播特性,以及降低SOA的饱和能量和有源区长度等.     

Demonstration of an all-optical switching operation using an optical fiber grating coupler

An optical fiber grating coupler (FGC) is a fused optical fiber coupler with a tapered region in which refractive index-modulated gratings are written. In the FGC, the light with specific wavelength satisfying the Bragg condition of the grating can be dropped to one output port and other lights are transmitted to another output port when lights with various wavelengths are launched into the input port. The FGC can operate as an all-optical switch by controlling the Bragg wavelength of the grating using a third order nonlinear optical effect caused by a control light that are launched with a signal light. In this paper, an all-optical switching operation due to a third order nonlinear optical effect in an FGC is first demonstrated for a signal light with 1.55 μm-wavelength to be changed from one port of the FGC to another one by the 720 W peak of a control light from a Nd:YAG laser with 1.06 μm-wavelength. The switching efficiency obtained was 7%. It was clarified that a longer pulse length of the control light compared to the grating length is required to obtain a large Bragg wavelength shift for the switching. It was also clarified that the Bragg wavelength shift is caused by a third order nonlinear effect and a photothermal effect. A contribution of the photothermal effect was estimated. We also estimated the switching efficiency for pump power in the FGC switch.     

Performances of Switching Window of Ultrafast Nonlinear Interferometer (UNI) Demultiplexer

In this paper, the theoretical model of the UNI is proposed in detail, which counts on the ultrafast nonlinearities and longitudinal effects of semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The transfer function of UNI is also obtained. The switching window, which is a key parameter for demultiplexer, is then analyzed. It's shown that the switching window properties are determined by the length of SOA, the length of the birefringence fiber (BRF), and the parameters of control pulses such as control pulse energy, pulsewidth, power.     

Circuit model for analysis of SOA-based photonic switch

This paper presents an equivalent lumped element electric circuit model for traveling wave semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) in integrated circuit applications. The model facilitates incorporation of chip and package parasitic elements of SOA. The model is used to represent an all optical 2 × 2 switch based on cross gain modulation in SOA capable of operating at an ultra fast speed. SPICE simulation of the switch with the proposed circuit model provides bit error rate (BER) values at the switch output which agrees well with the experimentally measured values at 10 Gb/s. The degradation of switching performance has been examined in terms of bit error rate, modulation bandwidth and switching time in the presence of chip parasitic elements of SOA.     

一维非线性光子晶体全光开关的数值研究

在光子晶体的缺陷层内掺入Kerr介质,基于Kerr非线性效应导致的缺陷态迁移原理,设计了两种一维光子晶体全光开关结构.应用时域有限差分（FD-TD）法,编制Matlab计算程序,对全光开关进行数值特性分析.讨论频率混合效应对全光开关的影响.观察光子局域效应增强光子晶体非线性的现象,验证了光子局域效应与光子晶体完整周期结构的层数有关,层数太少光子局域效应不明显.     

On the data rate extension of semiconductor optical amplifier-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer in dual rail switching mode using a cascaded optical delay interferometer

The feasibility of increasing by a factor of two the data speed of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer in dual rail switching mode by means of a cascaded optical delay interferometer (ODI) is explored and shown through numerical simulation. From the theoretical analysis it has been found that such extension cannot be done without employing this passive element for any selection of the critical parameters but the SOA carrier lifetime, for which the requirements are yet very demanding. If, however, the time delay introduced by the ODI is adjusted to almost 1/3rd of the bit period, then the result of Boolean XOR operation can be improved for a specified range of parameter values, which can be further selected to be more relaxed than is possible when the ODI is not being used. The use of the ODI allows both error-free and pattern-free performance at the output of the interferometric structure configured as ultrafast XOR gate. In this manner the scheme can offer a practical alternative solution for extending the operating rate of this logical module and enabling its exploitation as a basic building unit in more sophisticated all-optical circuits and subsystems.     

Wide-Band Optical Wavelength Converter Based on Four-Wave Mixing Using Optimized Semiconductor Optical Amplifier

We have simulated 50 nm up and down wavelength conversion for a non-return to zero differential phase shift keying (NRZ-DPSK) signal using four-wave mixing in an optimized semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) at 10 Gb/s for the first time. For this we optimized the SOA parameters to achieve sufficient quality and enhancement in four-wave mixing effect. This can be done in such a manner that the SOA never saturates and produces maximum four-wave mixing signals with minimum gain fluctuations. The quality of the converted signal is best before the saturation of SOA. Finally, we have numerically simulated cascaded wavelength converters up to 1300 km transmission distance.     

Ultra-high speed all-optical shift registers and their applications in OTDM networks

All-optical shift registers are basic building modules for the development of ultra-high speed optical time division multiplexing networks. In this paper, we review the progress that has been made in this cutting-edge technology, focusing on implementations that exploit the attractive features of semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based interferometric configurations. We present regenerative storage performed with an all-optical recirculating shift register with an inverter at 10 Gb/s using a SOA-assisted Sagnac switch and a second SOA to provide feedback. We demonstrate also an all-optical memory based on the SOA-assisted Ultrafast Nonlinear Interferometer capable of reading/writing 20 Gb/s packets of variable length without data inversion. These registers can find application in the development of two nontrivial complex all-optical circuits of enhanced functionality. The first is an all-optical pseudorandom binary sequence generator for which we describe an efficient design algorithm and propose ways for monitoring and verification. The second is an all-optical error counter for which we address the error detection and evaluation issues using a novel sampling technique. These circuits are key elements for the implementation of a high-speed, all-optical bit error rate tester (BERT), which has the potential to outperform its electronic equivalent and constitute a possible new product for the telecommunications industry.     

Design of high-Q silicon-polymer hybrid photonic crystal nanobeam microcavities for low-power and ultrafast all-optical switching

Owing to the unique optical properties high-Q photonic crystal nanobeam microcavities have been demonstrated in a variety of materials. In this paper the design of high-Q silicon-polymer hybrid photonic crystal nanobeam microcavities is investigated using the three-dimensional plane-wave expansion method and finite-difference time-domain method. We first discuss the design of high-Q nanobeam microcavities in silicon-on-insulator, after which the polymer is introduced into the air void to form the hybrid structures. Quality factor as high as 1 × 10⁴ has been obtained for our silicon-polymer hybrid nanobeam microcavities without exhaustive parameter examination. In addition the field distribution of resonant mode can be tuned to largely overlap with polymer materials. Because of the overwhelmingly large Kerr nonlinearity of polymer over silicon, the application in all-optical switching is presented by studying the shift of the resonant frequency on the change of refractive index of polymer. The minimum switching intensity of only 0.37 GW/cm² is extracted for our high-Q hybrid microcavities and the corresponding single pulse energy is also discussed according to the pumping methods. The total switching time is expected to be restricted by the photon lifetime in cavity due to the ultrafast response speed of polymer. Our silicon-polymer hybrid nanobeam microcavities show great promise in constructing small-sized all-optical devices or circuits with advantages of possessing low-power and ultrafast speed simultaneously.     

使用半导体光放大器的全光解复用器的性能分析

本文对使用半导体光放大器的Sagnac和Mach Zehnder全光解复用器进行了理论分析,在分析中综合考虑了控制脉冲宽度和半导体光放大器长度的影响。分析结果表明这种解复用器可获得的最小开关窗口由控制脉冲宽度和半导体光放大器长度决定,此外由分析可知,不但这种解复用器的开关速率,而且其被解出的分支信号的速率都不受半导体光放大器张弛时间的限制。