Performance analysis of novel optical label technologies

The generation, extraction, identification and regeneration of optical label are the key problems in optical label switching technology. This paper proposes two methods to generate optical packets in OLS system and compares their performance. Results show that when other conditions are equal, the scheme using dedicated wavelength technology has obviously better performance than that of the scheme without this technology.     

Transmission performance of the SCM label in optical label switching networks

We have investigated the transmission performance of the label signal in the optical double sideband subcarrier multiplexing (DSB-SCM) label switching link and clarified that the degradation of the label signal results from the fiber chromatic dispersion and the incomplete filtering out of the payload carrier. Our theoretical results show that the DSB-SCM label can immune the fading effect, and the degradation mainly results from the crosstalk from the payload and the time shift of the code edge. The deep suppression of the optical carriers at the receiver can eliminate the crosstalk. The time shift of the code edges leads to the eye closure of the label codes and is independent of the code rate, but it does not degrade the label code with a low bit rate greatly, although it is serious for the label with a high bit rate and ultimately limits the transmission distance of the label. The simulation results validate our analysis very well. As we theoretically predict that the single sideband (SSB)-SCM can eliminate the time shift of the code edges and extend the transmission distance of the label signal.     

Label swapping and packet transmission of DPSK-labeled PPM signal in optical label switching

A label swapping scheme of an optical labeled signal with differential phase shift keying(DPSK) for label at 2.5 Gb/s and pulse position modulation(PPM) for payload at 40 Gb/s is demonstrated by simulation.Power penalties of ～1.8 and ～0.8 dB are achieved for both the payload and label over 80-km single mode fiber(SMF) transmission.This labeling scheme allows the use of four-wave mixing(FWM) in semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA) to perform label erasure,with advantages of transparence for bit rate,high processing rate,simple architecture,and low cost.Label swapping is demonstrated with appropriate penalties of-3.5 and 0.8 dB for PPM payload and new DPSK label,respectively.To further prove the effectiveness of the proposed scheme,label swapping in the case of using 10-Gb/s DPSK label is also investigated with the power penalties of 6 and 2 dB for PPM payload and new DPSK label.     

Performance analysis of topologies for optical wavelength convertible networks

An architecture of wavelength converters shared per-node wavelength cross-connects is proposed to function the optical node in simulation. And first-fit wavelength allocation algorithm and Dijkstra shortest path routing algorithm are used. It is shown that star topology performs the best on blocking probability, average hop count and average packet delay, but it is unfavorable on link utilization. Furthermore, wavelength conversion is not ideal for the star topology. However, the ring topology network is the cost-optimal one if the appropriate wavelength conversion capability in network is to be considered.     

Performance analysis of an integrated scheme in optical burst switching high-speed networks

A new integrated scheme based on resource-reservation and adaptive network flow routing to alleviate contention in optical burst switching networks is proposed. The objective of the proposed scheme is to reduce the overall burst loss in the network and at the same time to avoid the packet out-of-sequence arrival problem. Simulations are carried out to assess the feasibility of the proposed scheme. Its performance is compared with that of contention resolution schemes based on conventional routing. Through extensive simulations, it is shown that the proposed scheme not only provides significantly better burst loss performance than the basic equal proportion and hop-length based traffic routing algorithms, but also is void of any packet re-orderings.     

Performance analysis of electronic code division multiple access based virtual private networks over passive optical networks

A solution for implementing multiple secure virtual private networks over a passive optical network using electronic code division multiple access is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The multiple virtual private networking capability is experimentally demonstrated with 40 Mb/s data multiplexed with a 640 Mb/s electronic code that is unique to each of the virtual private networks in the passive optical network, and the transmission of the electronically coded data is carried out using Fabry-Perot laser diodes. A theoretical scalability analysis for electronic code division multiple access based virtual private networks over a passive optical network is also carried out to identify the performance limits of the scheme. Several sources of noise such as optical beat interference and multiple access interference that are present in the receiver are considered with different operating system parameters such as transmitted optical power, spectral width of the broadband optical source, and processing gain to study the scalability of the network.     

Performance analysis and improvement of semiconductor optical amplifier direct modulation with assistance of microring resonator notch filter

We demonstrate through numerical simulations that a passive single-bus microring resonator (MRR) employed as notch filter enables to directly modulate an ordinary semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) at 10 Gb/s. This data rate constitutes a fourfold increase in the speed that it is possible to modulate the SOA due to its finite differential carrier lifetime. The theoretical analysis unveils how the MRR radius and detuning must be selected so that the MRR-based filtering scheme efficiently overcomes the pattern-dependent impairments incurred by the SOA narrow electrical bandwidth. Moreover, the small-signal analysis conducted to correlate the perturbations in power of the modulated optical signal inserted in the MRR with those at the MRR output confirms the enhancement in the electrical bandwidth of the SOA–MRR combination. Provided that the MRR response is tailored as suggested, which is technologically feasible, the MRR action permits the encoded signal to exhibit at extended data rate a pulse and eye diagram profile of acceptable quality, tolerable amplitude difference indices, an error probability below the forward error correction limit, and a sufficient system net gain for medium-haul transmission in standard single-mode fiber with dispersion compensation. These performance improvements can be beneficial for the direct modulation of standard SOAs. Together with SOAs inherent amplification capability, they can open new perspectives in using these active elements as external modulators in various target applications.     

Performance enhancement of optical burst switched networks

Optical burst switching (OBS) is an optical switching paradigm which offers a good tradeoff between the traditional optical circuit switching (OCS) and optical packet switching (OPS) since it has the relatively easy implementation of the first and the efficient bandwidth utilization of the second. Hence, OBS is a promising technology for the next generation optical Internet. A buffer-less OBS network can be implemented using ordinary optical communication equipment without the need for either wavelength converters or optical memories. In an OBS network, burst-loss performance is a critical concern. In OBS, the data-burst transmission is delayed by an offset time (relative to its burst control packet (BCP), or header) and the burst follows its header without waiting for an acknowledgment for resource reservation. Thus, a burst may be lost at an intermediate node due to contention, which is generally resolved according to the local routing and bandwidth information. The routing table maintained in each OBS node is generally pre-computed and fixed to forward the data bursts. Such a static forwarding feature might have limited efficiency to resolve contentions. Moreover, a burst may be lost and the network may be congested when a network element (e.g., fiber link) fails. In this paper, an efficient integrated scheme based on dynamic routing and burst segmentation has been proposed to improve reliability of data transport and network load balancing in optical burst switched networks. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach reduces effectively blocking probability and hence contention. Further, it provides end-to-end throughput performance also. Hence, it establishes an appropriate tradeoff between loss rate and end-to-end throughput.     

Performance analysis of a swept-source optical coherence tomography system with a quadrature interferometer and optical amplification

A performance analysis of signal to noise ratio for an optical coherence tomography system with quadrature detection and a semiconductor optical amplifier in the sample arm is discussed. The results are compared and discussed in relation to a conventional OCT system (without optical amplification). An increase of the signal to noise ratio up to 14 dB at a depth of 0.5 mm is obtained compared to the system without the optical amplifier. Overall, an improvement was demonstrated for signal coming from deeper regions within the samples. Arterial plaque from a myocardial infarction-prone Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHLMI) rabbit is visualized and characterized using this system. Improvement of signal to noise ratio increases the penetration depth possible for OCT images, from 1 mm to 2 mm within the vessel wall of an artery. Preliminary results show that vulnerable plaque with fibrous cap, macrophage accumulations and calcification in the arterial tissue are measurable with this OCT system.     

Ferrule material dependence of axial force sensitivity of a tunable optical frequency filter made of fiber fabry-perot etalon

Fiber Fabry-Perot etalon (FFPE) is a device designed as an optical frequency filter, and its transmission characteristics change depending on force and temperature. In this paper, axial force sensitivity of three types of FFPE is investigated, whose ferrule materials have different Young’s modulus. Force sensitivity of an FFPE whose ferrule material is borosilicate glass was found to be 2.7 GHz/N, while those of FFPEs with glass ceramics and zirconium oxide ferrules were 1.7 and 0.8 GHz/N, respectively. Thus, the theoretical expectation is confirmed experimentally that the axial force sensitivity of FFPE is inversely proportional to Young’s modulus of the ferrule material.     

Performance analysis of a semi-active mount made by a new variable stiffness spring

A new variable stiffness mount (VSM), is created and its performance is experimentally measured and analyzed. VSMs have extensive applications in the vibration control of machineries including automotive industry. The variable stiffness in this design is realized by the prestress stiffness of a cable-based mechanism at a singular configuration. Changing the prestress, through a piezo actuator and a simple on-off controller, results in significant stiffness change in short time and at low energy costs. The stiffness of the VSM is characterized through static and dynamic tests. The performance of the VSM is then evaluated and compared with an equivalent passive mount in two main areas of transmissibility and shock absorption. The response time of the semi-active VSM is also measured in a realistic scenario. A summary of the performance tests are presented at the end.     

A perturbation analysis of modes in diffused optical waveguides with Gaussian index profile

Inclusion of a quartic term with adjustable coefficient in the Taylor expansion approximation to gaussian index profiles of diffused optical waveguides is shown to provide an improved approximation to the true gaussian curve to beyond the e-folding depth. A first-order perturbation to the square-law “harmonic oscillator” solutions is applied to improve the calculations of mode indexes and to illustrate the manner in which the corrected wave functions are extended deeper into the substrate.     

Line width analysis of a tunable optical filter based on free-space optics

The line width of a tunable optical filter based on free-space optics was analyzed. The relationship between the line width and the Gaussian beam waist was theoretically derived and experimentally verified. The experimental results meet the theoretical analysis well, which is beneficial for the design of a tunable optical filter based on free-space optics.     

Demonstration of a bandwidth-tunable optical passband filter with tunable attenuation

A bandwidth-tunable optical passband filter with tunable attenuation is proposed. The filter, composed of a transmission liquid crystal array and high-resolution diffraction grating, was successfully demonstrated based on the compact spatial light design. Experimental results showed that the bandwidth, wavelength, and attenuation could be tuned by controlling the voltage applied on the liquid crystal array. The insertion loss was less than 3 dB;the attenuation tuning range was from 0 to 15 dB. The bandwidth tuning range was from 50 to 5000 GHz, which covered the full C band. The filter can meet the technical requirements of colorless-directionless-contentionlessflexible reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer.     

Performance analysis of coherent optical scatterometry

Scatterometry is a well established technique currently utilized in research, as well as in industrial applications, to retrieve the properties of a given scatterer (the target) by looking at how the light coming from a certain source is diffracted in the far field. Currently the light source is often a discharge lamp that, after wavelength filtering, can be thought as a quasi-monochromatic, but spatially incoherent, source. In the present work, benefits of using a focused spot from a spatially coherent light source, as that emitted by a laser, are investigated on a theoretical viewpoint. The focused spot is scanned over the object of interest and, for each scan position, a far-field diffraction pattern is recorded. Our results show that spatially coherent light can sensibly increase the accuracy of the technique with respect to the target’s geometrical profile.     

Properties of Gaussian waveguide modes of an optical cavity with a metamaterial

A theory of excitation of waveguide modes in an open two-mirror cavity containing layers with positive and negative refractive indices is proposed. Relations between the mirror curvatures and the thicknesses and refractive indexes of the layers at which the main mode has the Gaussian beam structure are derived. The stability of such cavities is analyzed.     

Nanofabrication of a space-variant optical transmission filter

A space-variant optical transmission filter is demonstrated for which a simplified process is used to tailor the spatial response of the filter across the surface of a single wafer. A multilayer stack, of alternating high or low refractive index dielectric materials, was used to produce a narrow transmission notch in the center of a wide stop band. Subsequent patterning and etching of arrays of holes through the volume of the dielectric stack was performed to control the fill factor of the dielectric in the layers. The position of the transmission notch within the reflection spectrum was varied across the device surface by adjusting the hole diameter of the hole arrays. Experimental and numerical simulation were used to confirm the space-variant transmission characteristics of a single-wafer sample with two zones of different hole diameter arrays in the 1550 nm wavelength regime.     

Improved performance analysis of Gigabit passive optical networks

Gigabit passive optical networks (GPON) provide a capacity boosts in both the total bandwidth and bandwidth efficiency through the use of larger variable-length packets in Passive Optical Networks technology. In this paper, we have described a purely-passive GPON compatible reach extender using distributed Raman amplification and reported the improved investigation through implementation of a square root module by a distance of 60 km at data rate of 2.5 Gbps. An efficient improvement in Q factor is achieved with square root module, which further helps in increasing the length of GPON.