All optical regenerator using a semiconductor laser amplifier in a loop mirror configuration

Abstract

All optical repeaters, which retime optical data signals, are essential components for photonic switching systems. In general these regenerators operate as follows. The optical data signal is combined with an optical clock signal (synchronized with the data signal) and both are coupled into a decision gate (AND gate). Decision gates based on a SEED (data rate 5 kbit/s [1]), on a bistable Fabry-Perot amplifier (data rate 140 Mbit/s [2]), on a bistable three electrode DFB laser diode (data rate 200 Mbit/s [3]) and on a nonlinear Sagnac interferometer switch (data rate 3 Gbit/s [4]) have been demonstrated. In this paper we report on a new kind of decision gate based on a semiconductor laser amplifier (SLA) in a loop mirror (SLALOM) configuration. This decision gate was operated at 1 Gbit/s. It exhibits a contrast ratio of better than 20 dB, no polarization dependence for the data signals, and it enables simultaneously all-optical wavelength conversion over a wavelength range of about 60 nm. As compared to the nonlinear Sagnac interferometer switch, it requires optical powers for switching, which are about three orders of magnitude lower. It is very compact and offers the advantage of a possible integration on a chip.