A 2x2 cross/bar optically-driven switch is implemented with a single semiconductor optical amplifier. The switch
exploits nonlinear polarization rotation experienced by two input signals in the amplifier in presence of a control pump
light. The two input data signals travel in opposite directions inside the amplifier. In absence of the control light, the lowpower
input signals do not experience nonlinear effects inside the amplifier; when the pump light is applied, both the
input data signals experience cross-phase modulation, which reflects in nonlinear polarization rotation for the output
signals due to polarization-dependent carriers modulation in the semiconductor amplifier. Polarizes are then used in the
output paths in order to discriminate the output packets for the two possible cases of control pump signal in the ON and
OFF state. Bit error rate measurements demonstrate error-free operation for both the possible switch configurations. By
letting the input signals to travel the amplifier in opposite directions this architecture enables operation with data packets
at the same wavelength. The switch speed is limited by the carriers recombination time in the amplifier, in the order of
few hundreds of ps. Semiconductor technology allows implementation of compact, cost-effective, and low-power
operating all-optical devices.
KEYWORDS: Receivers, Optical filters, Electronic filtering, Interference (communication), Electroluminescence, Optical components, Photodiodes, Optical fibers, Chemical elements, Signal to noise ratio
We investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, how the use of an all-Optical Decision Element (ODE) in front of a
conventional receiver improves, in Return-to-Zero (RZ) systems, the receiver performance when the signal bandwidth exceeds
the bandwidth of the available opto-electronic components.
A theoretical analysis of the ODE behavior shows the field of applicability of the investigated solution. The experimental
evaluation of the performance improvement in an RZ system is realized using an ODE based on two cascaded Nonlinear
Optical Loop Mirrors. Benefits in terms of Bit Error Rate for different signal bandwidths and for different received Optical
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (OSNR) are presented. Substantial agreement of the experimental results with the theoretical analysis is
obtained. The impact of the ODE in the presence of relevant thermal noise at the receiver is also considered.
The ODE can extend the use of common band-limited receivers to wide-bandwidth signals, and can be an alternative
solution to the development of wide-band receivers.
An all-optical and ultra-fast combinatorial network based on semiconductor optical amplifiers and able to detect packet
contention in a 2x2 photonic node is demonstrated. The signal at the output of the combinatorial network has a contrast
ratio higher than 8.4 dB. The combinatorial network is used for demonstrating the feasibility of a 2x2 photonic node at
160 Gb/s.
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