Ultra-broadband one-to-two wavelength conversion using low-phase-mismatching four-wave mixing in silicon waveguides

Shiming Gao,Qi Song,En-Kuang Tien,Yuewang Huang,Ozdal Boyraz

doi:10.1364/oe.18.011898

Abstract

An ultra-broadband wavelength conversion is presented and experimentally demonstrated based on nondegenerate four-wave mixing in silicon waveguides. Two idlers can be generated and their wavelengths can be freely tuned by using two pumps where the first pump is set close to the signal and the second pump is wavelength tunable. Using this scheme, a small phase-mismatch and hence an ultra-broad conversion bandwidth is realized in spite of the waveguide dispersion profile. We show that the experimental demonstrations are consistent with the theoretical estimations. Total conversion bandwidth is estimated to reach >500 nm and it can provide a feasible approach to realize one-to-two wavelength conversion among different telecommunication bands between 1300 nm and 1800 nm.

Highlights

Wavelength converter is a key signal processing component to increase the versatility in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks and to avoid the network block when multiple channels at the same wavelength are routed at the same port [1]
We show that the experimental demonstrations are consistent with the theoretical estimations
Two generated idlers from the two four-wave mixing (FWM) processes have been observed and experimental results agree well with the simulations

Summary

Introduction

Wavelength converter is a key signal processing component to increase the versatility in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networks and to avoid the network block when multiple channels at the same wavelength are routed at the same port [1]. Many efforts have been made to enhance the bandwidth of wavelength converters based on wave mixing such as designing special structures in ferroelectric crystals [3] and adopting short ultra-highly nonlinear fibers [4]. Two-pump wave mixing technology has been utilized to enhance the bandwidth. A two-pump nondegenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) in optical fibers has been used to convert signals from 1550 nm to 1310 nm [6]. We present and demonstrate, for the first time to our best knowledge, an ultra-broadband wavelength conversion based on two-pump nondegenerate FWM in silicon waveguides by setting one pump near the signal and scanning the other pump to eliminate the phase mismatch. Two idlers can be generated simultaneously and this scheme has the one-totwo conversion ability

Principle

Numerical simulation

Experimental demonstration

Conclusion