Pigtailed tree-structured 8×8 LiNbO3 switch matrixwith 112 digital optical switches

We report on integrated optics Ti:LiNbO₃-based 8×8 switch matrices. The matrix design uses a tree structure with 112 digital optical switches as switch elements. The matrix, which has been pigtailed and packaged in an open package for convenient system demonstrator use, exhibits a worst case insertion loss of less than 15 dB     

Extended baseline architecture for nonblocking photonic switching

A new switch architecture called extended baseline networks (EBN) is proposed for nonblocking photonic switching. This switch is a space-division multistage network using 2×2 optical switch elements which may be directional couplers fabricated on titanium diffused lithium niobate (Ti:LiNbO₃) substrates. A recursive definition for the proposed architecture is presented. Some properties including the number of switch elements required, blocking characteristics, number of crossovers, system attenuation, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are derived and analyzed. Most of the characteristics are shown to be better than those of other well-known networks fabricated on single Ti:LiNbO₃ substrates     

Prototype 32×32 optical switch matrix

A 32×32 optical switch matrix with a banyan network architecture is demonstrated using a Ti:LiNbO₃ waveguide. The switching voltage was 24 V and extinction ratio averaged -18 dB. The prototype device showed path dependent insertion loss deviation of 10 dB. The device can be used as a building block for many functional optical switch matrices     

Studies on semiconductor optical amplifiers for line capacityexpansion in photonic space-division switching system

The problems associated with introducing traveling wave amplifiers (TWAs) to photonic space-division (SD) switching systems are examined. Experiments were carried out to clarify the TWA noise effect and interference between cascaded TWAs, using about 10-dB gain TWA modules. Possibility of a 128-line photonic SD switching system, using current polarization-independent LiNbO₃ 8×8 switch matrices, has been shown through the experiments. The possible line capacity value of the photonic SD switching system with TWAs is examined theoretically. It is shown that the expected line capacity value for such a switching system exceeds 10³     

Optical switch matrix with simplified N×Ntree structure

Optical switch matrices with compact size and excellent crosstalk characteristics are discussed. Novel architectures for optical switch matrices are obtained by condensing the structure of N× N tree structure. 4×4 switches fabricated on LiNbO₃ substrates are discussed     

Optical cross-connect system incorporated with newly developedoperation and management system

The optical cross-connect (OXC) system described in this paper increases the operation flexibility and reliability of the trunk-line optical networks used for data communication. It features an OXC node comprised of a photonic switching network and a conventional electric switching network that are connected hierarchically. The operation and management scheme proposed for this OXC system uses the concept of an optical path and an optical section. The OXC system allows hitless network reconfiguration by switching the photonic switches gradually and without interference effects. An experimental OXC network showed that a broken optical path is restored, by rerouting, within 50 ms. Experiments using a LiNbO₃ 8×8 photonic switch matrix also showed that the OXC system provides photonic hitless switching. These results confirm the feasibility of flexibly reconfigurable and fast-restorable OXC systems     

Electro-optic effect in proton exchanged LiNbO3 andLiTaO3 waveguides

Electro-optic properties of proton-exchanged (PE) waveguide layers in LiTaO₃ and LiNbO₃ are studied and related to their optical characteristics. The proton-exchange process induces a degradation of the electro-optic activity in both types of waveguides, PE LiNbO₃ and PE LiTaO₃. The measured electro-optic effect is close to the detection sensitivity even when the exchange regime is performed at low temperatures for short periods of time. The PE samples have been annealed (APE waveguides) and the changes of their r₃₃ electro-optic coefficient has been followed at successively higher temperatures and periods of time. Subjected to annealing at temperatures between 265-420°C, the LiTaO₃ layers show a partially recovered r₃₃ coefficient, the recovering being different for quick and slow cooling of the samples. In thin APE LiNbO₃ waveguiding layers a restoration of r₃₃ up to 75% of the bulk value is observed due to the annealing at temperatures between 200-340°C     

LOCNET-an experimental communications system using optical routing

Experiences gained with the installation and operation of an experimental communication system are reported. The system uses distributed switching in its narrow-band part, integrating ISDN services and high-speed data communication, and a star coupler as a central device. LiNbO₃ optical switches behind the star coupler prevent line tapping. In the wideband subsystem, optical routing is used for videophone. The central device is a space-division-switching unit consisting of cascaded 4×4 LiNbO₃ switching matrices. Both the narrowband and wideband parts of the system have been operated with bit error rates less than 10^-9     

An optical integrated circuit for time-division 2-D velocitymeasurement

An LiNbO₃ optical integrated circuit pigtailed with two single-mode fibres, which allows time-division two-dimensional velocity measurement, is discussed. To detect time-division multiplexed beat signals corresponding to velocity components v_X and v_γ of a moving object, a waveguide switch is integrated on a Z-propagating LiNbO₃ substrate of 28×7 mm² in addition to a waveguide interferometer with a frequency shifter. In the optical IC, either v_X or v_γ could be measured selectively with signal-to-noise ratio of 20 dB by driving an electronic gate placed after a photodiode in synchronization with the waveguide switch     

Fluctuational crosstalk in Ti:LiNbO3 directional couplerswitches

It has been found that the fluctuations in the Ti concentration along waveguides of Ti:LiNbO₃ directional coupler switches degrade the switch extinction ratio and introduce an unwanted crosstalk between both channels. We discuss analytically the effect of effective optical index fluctuations on the transfer matrix of the optical switch. We demonstrate the sensitivity of the mismatch to the statistics of the fluctuations of the Ti concentration     

8×8 symmetric nonblocking integrated acoustooptic spaceswitch module on LiNbO3

An 8×8 symmetric nonblocking integrated acoustooptic space switch module has been realized on a Y-cut LiNbO₃ substrate, 1.0×10.0×37.0 mm in size. The switch module consists of a new hybrid beam expanding-collimating lens, a large aperture focusing lens, and a pair of four-element tilted surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducer arrays in a titanium-in-diffused channel-planar-channel composite waveguide. Experimental results of point-to-point nonblocking switching at the optical wavelength of 0.6328 μm, including an average crosstalk of -12.2 dB, optical switching efficiency of 25% at 125 mW RF drive power, carrier frequency increment of 13.5 MHz for switching between adjacent output channels and reconfiguration time of 0.4 μs have been obtained     

An application of a silica-on-terraced-silicon platform to hybridMach-Zehnder interferometric circuits consisting of silica-waveguidesand LiNbO3 phase-shifters

By using a silica-on-terraced-silicon platform (STS-platform) for optical hybrid integration, we fabricated a hybrid Mach-Zehnder interferometric circuit consisting of silica-waveguide directional couplers and a LiNbO₃ phase-shifter array. The circuit functioned as an optical switch with an insertion loss of 6.0 dB including input and output fiber coupling loss and an extinction ratio of better than 20 dB. The STS-platform was thus confirmed to incorporate both a high-performance planar lightwave circuit and a silicon optical bench     

128 line photonic switching system using LiNbO3 switchmatrices and semiconductor traveling wave amplifiers

The possibility of a 128-line photonic space division switching system incorporating LiNbO₃ switch matrices and semiconductor traveling wave amplifiers (TWAs) is discussed. System design is considered in terms of the most suitable location for the TWA devices that gives the most practical power margin. Design requirements for a 128-line photonic switching system suitable for a small-sized private branch exchange requirement are presented along with experimental results. It has been shown that a five-stage switch cascade, suitable for such a high-capacity switching system with a power margin of greater than 5 dB in the highest switch loss situation is possible, using low-facet-reflection TWAs. Such TWA devices have been developed in the 1.3-μm wavelength region with maximum fiber-to-fiber gain values of 15 dB. With maximum gain-polarization dependencies of 3 dB, switch losses can be compensated even under TM mode operation     

Polarization independent LiNbO3 8×8 matrix switch

A polarization-independent LiNbO₃ strictly blocking 8×8 matrix switch has been developed. A relatively low insertion loss, below 12 dB, has been obtained by a reduction in bending loss, using a wide bent waveguide width. The switch has less than -18.7-dB crosstalk and about 85-V switching voltage at any incident polarization with 1.3-μ wavelength light     

LiNbO3晶体纳秒级光开关的研究

LiNbO3晶体由于其透光范围广，响应速度快，不易潮解等特点而广泛用于高精度和高速光开关快门。为了将LiNbO3光开关曝光时间拓宽到纳秒领域从而弥补现有的高速光开关的不足，文章阐述了LiNbO3作为光开关理论原理，对多波段通光的晶体长宽比进行了优化设计，并对LiNbO3纳秒级光开关的可行性进行了实验验证。实验半波电压与理论符合很好，实验光信号和电信号在纳秒级范围内能实现同步响应。研究结果证实了LiNbO3光开关在纳秒级范围内的可行性，并为LiNbO3纳秒级光开关的制作提供了理论和实验依据。     

An improved procedure to calculate the refractive index profilefrom the measured near-field intensity

Refractive index profile of optical waveguides is reconstructed from the measured transmitted near-field intensity. A Butterworth low-pass digital filter is employed in the frequency domain to remove impulsive and high frequency fluctuations which have severe effects on the procedure to calculate the index profile from the measured power intensity. The proposed method has been applied to measure the index profile of monomode optical fiber, Ti:LiNbO₃ and buried MgTi:LiNbO₃ channel waveguides     

Time-domain optical response of an electrooptic modulator usingFDTD

A time-domain analysis of an LiNbO₃ electrooptic modulator using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique is performed. This allows for the calculation of optical modulation and the time-domain optical response of an electrooptic modulator. The electromagnetic fields computed by FDTD are coupled to standard electrooptic relations that characterize electrooptic interactions inside the embedded Ti diffused LiNbO₃ optical waveguides. The electric field-dependent change in the index of refraction inside these optical waveguides and resulting minute phase shifts imparted to optical signals propagating along the device are determined in time, allowing for the simulation of optical intensity modulation. This novel approach to LiNbO₃ electrooptic modulators using a coupled FDTD technique allows for previously unattainable investigations into device operating bandwidth and data transmission speed     

Polarization independent, integrated optical, acoustically tunablewavelength filters/switches with tapered acoustical directional coupler

Enhanced sidelobe suppression of the filter characteristics of tunable acousto-optical mode converters in LiNbO₃ has been achieved using for the first time tapered acoustical directional couplers. A sidelobe suppression of more than 15.5 dB could be demonstrated in a single stage device. By combining the mode converter with two integrated optical polarization splitters a polarization independent filter/wavelength selective switch has been fabricated with less than 3 dB intrinsic insertion loss, a polarization dependence of less than 1 dB, and a sidelobe suppression exceeding 14 dB     

Activation energy of DC-drift of x-cut LiNbO3 opticalintensity modulators

The DC-bias-induced drift phenomenon in LiNbO₃ optical intensity modulators is a main cause of device wearout failure. In order to estimate the device lifetime, an activation energy value Ea of the drift is needed, and Ea=1.0 eV is already known for z-cut LiNbO₃ modulators. However, Ea of x-cut LiNbO₃ modulators is not known even though there is a possibility that the Ea depends on the crystal orientation. Here, Ea=1.4 eV is obtained experimentally for the x-cut LiNbO₃ modulator with a SiO₂ buffer layer from their drift measurements between 50°C-140°C     

Theoretical modeling of optical amplification in Er-doped Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides

An accurate theoretical analysis is presented describing optical amplification in Er-diffused Ti:LiNbO₃ channel waveguides. It follows as far as possible the theory already developed for Er-doped fibers. As optical pumping around λ_p≈1.48 μm is considered, a quasi-two-level model for the Er³⁺ ions is used with wavelength-dependent cross sections. The optical gain in the 1.53 μm<λ<1.64-μm wavelength range is evaluated. The characteristic parameters, as Er concentration profile, cross sections, pump, and signal mode distributions and waveguide (scattering) losses are taken from experiments. Examples of numerically calculated pump-, small-signal-gain-, and ASE-evolutions are presented. The model has been tested by comparing computed and experimentally observed gain characteristics for Xˆ- and Yˆ-cut LiNbO₃; an almost quantitative agreement has been obtained