Optical Wavelength Conversion Research Articles

Impact of pump-phase noise in PPLN-based optical parametric amplifier and wavelength converter for digital coherent transmission

Wideband signal amplification and optical signal processing with a high gain using an optical parametric amplifier based on a periodically poled LiNbO3 (PPLN) waveguide is attractive for constructing wideband optical fiber networks. We experimentally investigate the transfer characteristics of the phase noise of a pump laser in χ(2)-based optical parametric amplification and wavelength conversion on the basis of second-harmonic-generation and differential-frequency-generation processes. We also evaluate the effect of the transferred phase noise on signal quality in dispersion-unmanaged digital coherent fiber transmission systems. We show that the phase noise is transferred only to the wavelength-converted idler and does not affect the amplified signal even by using a pump laser with a MHz-order linewidth. We also show that the phase noise transferred to the idler light can have a similar impact on signal quality as equalization-enhanced phase noise (EEPN) in digital coherent transmission. The signal penalty including EEPN was evaluated with several pump lasers and at symbol rates of 32, 64, and 96 Gbaud. We also propose a method of using correlated pump lights between a wavelength converter pair to cancel out the transfer of phase noise.

A novel InGaN-based bidirectional wavelength converter and optical amplifier based on hot electron-induced blue light-emitting device

In this work, the functioning of the Top-Hat Hot-Electron Light Emission and Lasing in a Semiconductor Heterostructure (TH-HELLISH) structure, which is based on InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells, is investigated to employ it as an optical amplifier and wavelength converter. The heterojunction structure is formed by placing four InGaN quantum wells in the n-type GaN region between the n- and p-type GaN layers. The device with a TH-HELLISH structure was grown on a sapphire (Al2O3) substrate by Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) with an indium ratio of 0.16. The TH-HELLISH device was fabricated in Top-Hat HELLISH (THH) geometry with four independent n- and p-channels contacts to create a non-isotropic potential distribution in the heterojunction. The electro-photoluminescence (E-PL) technique was used to obtain light amplification and the converted wavelength. A 370 nm excitation light is absorbed by the TH-HELLISH device, subsequently leading to the emission at 440 ± 1 nm, which fulfills the role of a wavelength converter. It was also observed that TH-HELLISH operates as an optical amplifier with a 1.6-times increase in emission at 370 nm excitation. When the device is illuminated with a wavelength of 370 nm, it is monitored that the threshold electric field decreased from 0.25 kV/cm to 0.18 kV/cm, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the threshold voltage from 12.5 V to 9.0 V. In addition, the TH-HELLISH device is found to be operated independently of the polarity of the applied voltage, and the absorption and emission regions of the device can be switched by changing the polarity of the applied voltage, therefore behaving as a bi-directional wavelength converter and optical amplifier.

Cascaded four-wave mixing all-optical wavelength converter based on highly nonlinear fiber deposited graphene oxide

The all-optical wavelength conversion using cascaded four-wave mixing (FWM) phenomena with graphene oxide (GO) and a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) device is demonstrated experimentally. GO has a strong third-order nonlinear effect and is an excellent nonlinear optical material for nonlinear optical wavelength conversion. The group velocity matching of pump and signal, HNLF, and GO amplification promote the cascaded nonlinear frequency mixing process. From the experimental and analytical results, the maximum spacing between signal and pump is 21 nm, and specifically, the order of cascaded FWM light increases from order 1 to order 2 with increasing GO, and the first-order FWM conversion efficiency increases to a maximum of −14.5 dB. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that cascaded FWM-based all-optical wavelength conversion in HNLF–GO with wide wavelength selectivity is investigated with combined pump and signal light. Our findings not only provide an effective method for achieving all-optical wavelength conversion in cascaded FWM but also offer the possibility of fabricating high-performance nonlinear optical devices.

Cascaded two-stage optical regenerator based on four wave mixing in highly nonlinear fiber.

This work focuses on the effectiveness of using four-wave mixing (FWM) in restoring the corrupted signal as well as the factors that affect the quality of the data. The method was based on the two-stage FWM-based optical wavelength converter designed using a OptiSystem version 18.0. The signal regeneration for both stages has taken place in the highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) having length of 1.0 km and 0.8 km respectively. The first stage is to convert and restore a signal carrying NRZ formatted data at 1552 nm into a new wavelength of 1548 nm. While the second stage is to transfer the data back into the original wavelength of 1552 nm. It has been found that the quality of the data (Q-factor) is affected by the power of modulated signal (1552 nm) as well as the power of unmodulated pump source (1550 nm). The maximum Q-factor of 29.6 at 6 dBm signal power and of 35.7 at 16 dBm pump power have been achieved here. The wavelength spacing between those two sources also affect the quality of regenerated signal. The optimum quality value is found to be above 25 when the spacing is 1 nm regardless of the signal and pump power values.

Broadband optical wavelength conversion through four-wave mixing in W3-type AlGaAs photonic crystal waveguides

We realized a wide-band wavelength conversion method through four-wave mixing in W3-type AlGaAs photonic crystal waveguides. AlGaAs exhibits a large third-order nonlinearity. Furthermore, because of its large bandgap, two-photon absorption can be avoided in the 1550 nm range. A four-wave mixing efficiency of −7 dB was obtained for a pump peak power of 7 W. Furthermore, by utilizing the two even guided bands of the W3-type photonic crystal waveguide, a conversion bandwidth greater than 38 nm was achieved with a conversion efficiency of −22 dB.

A Review on Nonlinearity in Semiconductor optical Amplifer as Application in all Optical Signal Processing

The optical signal processing is the future of communication network. High speed all-optical packet routing is one of the essential applications of all-optical networks which is only possible with the development of all-optical logic technology. The development of optical logic elements and circuits are the steps in the growth of this technology and higher speed up to Tbit/sec can be achieved. The optical carrier frequency range 1013 to 1016 Hz provides enormous potential bandwidth with superior information carrying capacity over a long transmission distance. The need of higher capacity is continuing to encourage research in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and optical time division multiplexing (OTDM) based transmission systems, which need optical demultiplexing and wavelength conversion technology. Therefore, for high-speed optical networks, it is required to develop the all-optical gates to avoid power consumption in opto-electronics conversion. All optical logic gates perform computing operations, storage and transmission of data using light also known as optical computing. Optical technology promises massive upgrades in the efficiency and speed of computers, aswell as significant shrinkage in their size and cost. The non-linear optical device to be used i.e. Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) has proved to be the promising for all optical functions like wavelength conversion, logic functions, signal representation in all optical domain. Its compact size, high gain, fast response, strong refractive index variation, easy to manufacture and integration, and power efficiency makes it most optimum device for optical signal processing. In this paper, the application of SOA in optical processing is thoroughly reviewed and orient towards the latest application in neural networks.

Pulse distortion caused by waveguide inhomogeneity in nonlinear optical wavelength converters

Low-noise integrated all-optical wavelength converters that can be operated in short pulse regime are essential tools to overcome contention resolution in a modern communication network, based on wavelength division multiplexing. Any imperfect functionality in such devices causes non-ideal optical power transfer to the converted data pulses. All imperfections during the preparation and operation of the wavelength converters can be addressed to the waveguide inhomogeneity which distorts data pulses to be converted. This paper reports different waveguide inhomogeneity effects on the pulse distortion while using periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide as wavelength converters. Three types of chi ^{(2)}-based nonlinear optical processes, including second harmonic generation, difference frequency generation, and cascaded second harmonic generation/difference frequency generation are numerically studied to show that any constant, linear, and quadratic waveguide inhomogeneity causes short pulse (down to 1 ns) distortion in such wavelength converters. In addition, it is shown that the reconstruction of textrm{sech}^2-shaped generated pulses is possible, when suitable upside-down quadratic variations of obtained inhomogeneity are deliberately induced in the waveguide. Notably, for pulsed second harmonic generation, the generated pulse can be compressed using an upside-down quadratic phase mismatch.

Achieving enhanced second-harmonic generation in ferroelectric nematics by doping D–π–A chromophores

A fluidic ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal was deployed as a matrix to achieve spontaneous polarization of D–π–A chromophores and realize a dramatic increase in second-harmonic generation.

A topological nonlinear parametric amplifier

Topological boundary states are well localized eigenstates at the boundary between two different bulk topologies. As long as bulk topology is preserved, the topological boundary mode will endure. Here, we report topological nonlinear parametric amplification of light in a dimerized coupled waveguide system based on the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with a domain wall. The good linear transmission properties of the topological waveguide arising from the strong localization of light to the topological boundary is demonstrated through successful high-speed transmission of 30 Gb/s non-return-to-zero and 56 Gb/s pulse amplitude 4-level data. The strong localization of a co-propagating pump and probe to the boundary waveguide is harnessed for efficient, low power optical parametric amplification and wavelength conversion. A nonlinear tuning mechanism is shown to induce chiral symmetry breaking in the topological waveguide, demonstrating a pathway in which Kerr nonlinearities may be applied to tune the topological boundary mode and control the transition to bulk states.

Enhancing Heat Dissipation of Photoluminescent Composite in White-Light-Emitting Diodes by 3D-Interconnected Thermal Conducting Pathways.

The photoluminescent composite, which consists of micro-/nanoscale photoluminescent particles and a polymer matrix, plays a key role in optical wavelength conversion in white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). Heat is inevitably generated within the composite due to the energy lost through conversion and cannot be easily dissipated due to the extremely low thermal conductivity of the polymer matrix. Consequently, the composite suffers from a high working temperature, which severely deteriorates its optical performance as well as its long-term stability in WLEDs. To tackle this thermal issue, in this work three-dimensional (3D)-interconnected thermal conducting pathways composed of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) platelets were constructed inside a photoluminescent composite, using a simplified bubbles-templating method. The thermal conductivity of the composite was efficiently enhanced from 0.158 to 0.318 W/(m∙K) under an ultralow hBN loading condition of 2.67 wt%. As a result, the working temperature of the photoluminescent composite in WLEDs was significantly reduced by 32.9 °C (from 102.3 °C to 69.4 °C, under 500 mA). Therefore, the proposed strategy can improve the heat accumulation issue in photoluminescent composites and thus improve the optical stability of WLEDs.

Nontrivial phase matching in helielectric polarization helices: Universal phase matching theory, validation, and electric switching

Second-order optical nonlinearity is the essential concept for realizing modern technologies of optical wavelength conversion. The emerging helical polarization fluid, dubbed helielectric nematic, now makes it possible to design and easily fabricate various polarization structures and control their optical responses. The matter family is demonstrated as an ideal liquid platform for nonlinear optical conversion and amplification with electric-reconfigurable tunability. We here develop a universal phase matching theory and reveal a nonclassic chirality-sensitive phase-matching condition in the polarization helices through both the numerical calculation and the experimental validations. The nonlinear optical amplification can be dramatically modulated with a contrast ratio of >100:1 by an in-plane electric field. Furthermore, we employ the director relaxation under electric fields coupled with nonlinear optical simulation to clarify the topology-light interactions.

Applications of thin-film lithium niobate in nonlinear integrated photonics

Photonics on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) has emerged as one of the most pursued disciplines within integrated optics. Ultracompact and low-loss optical waveguides and related devices on this modern material platform have rejuvenated the traditional and commercial applications of lithium niobate for optical modulators based on the electro-optic effect, as well as optical wavelength converters based on second-order nonlinear effects, e.g., second-harmonic, sum-, and difference-frequency generations. TFLN has also created vast opportunities for applications and integrated solutions for optical parametric amplification and oscillation, cascaded nonlinear effects, such as low-harmonic generation; third-order nonlinear effects, such as supercontinuum generation; optical frequency comb generation and stabilization; and nonclassical nonlinear effects, such as spontaneous parametric downconversion for quantum optics. Recent progress in nonlinear integrated photonics on TFLN for all these applications, their current trends, and future opportunities and challenges are reviewed.

Graphene-enhanced polarization-insensitive all-optical wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing.

All-optical wavelength conversion technology based on four-wave mixing (FWM) effect is a promising development need of the modern high-speed optical signal processing system. In this work, we report on the polarization insensitive four-wave mixing based on graphene for all optical wavelength conversion. To overcome the polarization sensitivity of FWM, a dual-pump configuration was proposed based on the combination of graphene and the optical fibers. Our experimental results illustrate that by using the dual pump configuration, the FWM-based wavelength conversion efficiency, can be enhanced by graphene with about 8 dB when the state of polarization of the two pumps are parallel. This proposed all-optical wavelength converter based on graphene may provide a new approach for the next generation optical communications and signal processing.

Broadband optical parametric amplification using PPLN waveguide pumped by detuned second harmonic.

Optical parametric amplification in the range of 1.3-1.8 µm was demonstrated by using a periodically poled LiNbO3 (PPLN) waveguide as a nonlinear medium by varying the detuning of the pump wavelength. A wide range of detuning was enabled by using a multiple-quasi-phase-matched (M-QPM) LiNbO3 waveguide for pump generation through second harmonic generation (SHG) and temperature control of the PPLN waveguide. Broadband optical amplification and wavelength conversion through difference frequency generation (DFG) are considered useful for widening the bandwidth of optical communication.

Low-Dimensional Organic Metal Halide Hybrids with Excitation-Dependent Optical Waveguides from Visible to Near-Infrared Emission.

Molecular luminescent materials with optical waveguide properties have wide application prospects in the fields of sensors, filters, and modulators. However, designing and synthesizing optical waveguide materials with unique morphology, high emissive efficiency, and tunable optical properties in the same solid-state system remains an open challenge. In this work, we report new types of morphological one-dimensional (1D) organic metal halide hybrid micro/nanotubes and micro/nanorods, which exhibit excitation-dependent optical waveguide properties from visible to near-infrared (NIR) regions with low-loss coefficient and high emissive efficiency during the propagation process. Strong intermolecular interactions within the hybrid systems could effectively reduce the nonradiative transition and improve quantum efficiency. Photophysical studies and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the color-tunable emission can be attributed to the coexistence of locally excited states and charge-transfer states. Utilizing excitation-dependent optical waveguide emission ranging from visible to NIR regions, we fabricate an optical wavelength converter to transfer short-wavelength into long-wavelength emission with multichannels. Furthermore, an optical logic gate system was designed based on the tunable emission properties of the 1D metal halide micro/nanotubes. Therefore, this work provides not only a facile process to synthesize 1D organic metal halide hybrids with excitation-dependent optical waveguide properties but also a new way to advance photofunctional logic computation at the micro/nanoscale.

Integrated photonics on thin-film lithium niobate

Lithium niobate (LN), an outstanding and versatile material, has influenced our daily life for decades—from enabling high-speed optical communications that form the backbone of the Internet to realizing radio-frequency filtering used in our cell phones. This half-century-old material is currently embracing a revolution in thin-film LN integrated photonics. The successes of manufacturing wafer-scale, high-quality thin films of LN-on-insulator (LNOI) and breakthroughs in nanofabrication techniques have made high-performance integrated nanophotonic components possible. With rapid development in the past few years, some of these thin-film LN devices, such as optical modulators and nonlinear wavelength converters, have already outperformed their legacy counterparts realized in bulk LN crystals. Furthermore, the nanophotonic integration has enabled ultra-low-loss resonators in LN, which has unlocked many novel applications such as optical frequency combs and quantum transducers. In this review, we cover—from basic principles to the state of the art—the diverse aspects of integrated thin-film LN photonics, including the materials, basic passive components, and various active devices based on electro-optics, all-optical nonlinearities, and acousto-optics. We also identify challenges that this platform is currently facing and point out future opportunities. The field of integrated LNOI photonics is advancing rapidly and poised to make critical impacts on a broad range of applications in communication, signal processing, and quantum information.

Mid-infrared broadband all-optical wavelength converter in Ge20Sb15Se65 photonic crystal fiber with flattened dispersion

A chalcogenide photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with flattened dispersion and high nonlinearity in mid-infrared (mid-IR) based on a triangular and circular lattice hybrid cladding structure is proposed. The structural parameters of the PCF are optimized by the full-vectorial finite-difference method. The numerical simulation results show: when d1 = 0.4 µm, d2 = 0.16 µm, d3 = 0.04 µm, Ʌ1 = 0.88 µm, Ʌ2 = 0.8 µm, Ʌ3 = 0.5 µm, the flatten and low dispersion is obtained in the wavelength range of 3.8–5 µm. The dispersion value is between ± 1.2 (ps/nm/km), and the maximum nonlinear coefficient is as high as 2464.2 km-1 W-1 at 2.5 µm. Based on the four-wave mixing (FWM) effect in the proposed PCF, the all-optical wavelength conversion performance is numerically analyzed. When the pumping wavelength is 4.02 µm, the 3 dB conversion bandwidth can reach 4833 nm (from 2.737 µm to 7.57 µm), and the maximum wavelength conversion efficiency is 12.12 dB. The proposed all optical wavelength converter is having large bandwidth and high conversion efficiency in mid-IR band due to the flat dispersion and high nonlinearity of the PCF, which has potential application in future space optical communication network and mid-IR photonic.

Low-loss and high-resolution mechanical mode tuning in microspheres.

Lack of tunability impedes the wide application of optomechanical systems; however, little research exists on mechanical frequency tuning. Herein, ultra-fine low-loss dynamical mechanical frequency tuning is achieved by compressing a microsphere along the axial direction. The tuning resolution reaches approximately 4% of the mechanical linewidth, and the variation range of the mechanical quality factor (Qm) is within 2.9% of the untouched Qm. The roles of geometric deformation, spring effect, and stiffness were also evaluated through simulation and experimental analysis. Furthermore, sine function modulation was displayed, with a Pearson coefficient exceeding 99.3%, to achieve arbitrary-function mechanical resonance tuning. This method paves the way for scalable optomechanical applications, such as mechanical vibration synchronization or optomechanics-based optical wavelength conversion.

All optical wavelength conversion of dual users CO-OFDM system based on FWM in cascade HNLFs

We propose a scheme for all optical wavelength conversion (AOWC) of dual users coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) system with error bits free. The scheme is based on four wave mixing (FWM) in high nonlinear fiber (HNLF). In this scheme, cascade HNLFs are used to generate twice FWM processes. The simulation results show that the wavelength converted signal can be obtained successfully. Optical spectra and constellation diagrams of the proposed wavelength conversion (WC) system indicate a better error tolerance and resistance to phase noise compared with that of a system without WC. The bit error rate (BER), error vector magnitude (EVM), and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) penalty of the CO-OFDM system with AOWC are analyzed. The proposed scheme is also validated after the optical fiber transmission and in single user CO-OFDM systems based on BER performance and constellation diagrams, respectively.

Analysis of all-optical wavelength converter based on FWM effect in HNLF for coherent 100 Gbps dual-polarized DQPSK signal

All optical wavelength converter (AOWC) play important functionalities to enhance the network reconfiguration, efficient wavelength routing and assignment, non-blocking capacity in future dynamic optical access networks. In optical access networks, bandwidth limitation and wavelength continuity constraints lead to inefficient utilization of wavelength resources. AOWCs are the premier option to cope with these network constraints. On the other hand, advanced modulation formats have been extensively analyzed and used to achieve the high spectral efficiency. Since advanced modulation formats are more sensitive to amplitude and phase noise, AOWC are more suitable to achieve minimum power penalty and maximum conversion efficiency. In this paper, AOWC based on four wave mixing (FWM) in highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) for coherent 100 Gbps dual-polarized differential quadrature phase shift keying (DP-DQPSK) has been designed. The performance of AOWC is optimized at different probe input power, different pump power and wavelength to achieve the maximum conversion efficiency. After the multiwavelength conversion based on 0.7 km HNLF, the power penalty for converted 100 Gbps DP-DQPSK signals is less than 4.15 dB at BER of 10-9 and maximum conversion efficiency of −10.58 dB has been achieved.