High-speed, all-optical XOR gates using semiconductor optical amplifiers in ultrafast nonlinear interferometers

We will review three recently-proposed high-speed, all-optical Exclusive OR (XOR) gates operating at 40 and 85?Gb/s, which were demonstrated using ultrafast nonlinear interferometers (UNIs) incorporating semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). The first 40-Gb/s XOR gate was obtained using a dual UNI configuration. The second is a 40-Gb/s XOR gate without additional probe beam required, where the only inputs launched into the setup were data A and B. The XOR logic of data A and B is the sum of two components (A)B and(A)B , each of which was obtained from the output of UNI via cross-phase modulation (XPM) in SOAs. Furthermore, an 85-Gb/s XOR gate is, by far, the fastest XOR gate realized by SOAs, which was also demonstrated using a dual UNI structure. The operating speed of the XOR gate was enhanced by incorporating the recently proposed turbo-switch configuration. In addition, the SOA switching pulse energies of these XOR gates were lower than 100 fJ.     

High gain-bandwidth differential distributed InP D-HBT driver amplifiers with large (11.3 V/sub pp/) output swing at 40 Gb/s

High-performance and compact 40-Gb/s driver amplifiers were realized in 1.2-/spl mu/m emitter double-heterojunction InGaAs-InP HBT (D-HBT) technology with a maximum cut-off frequency (f/sub T/) of 150 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency (f/sub max/) of 200 GHz. Two-stage differential drivers feature a lumped input and fully distributed output stage and deliver a maximum differential output swing of 11.3 V peak-to-peak (V/sub pp/) at 40 Gb/s with less then 350 fs of added rms jitter and rise and fall times of about 7 ps while consuming a total power of 3 W. When biased at a lower output swing of 6.3 V/sub pp/, excellent 40-Gb/s eyes with a 7-ps fall time, 6-ps rise time, and no observable jitter deterioration compared with the input source are obtained at a reduced power consumption of 1.7 W. On-wafer measured differential S-parameters show a differential gain of 25 dB, 50 GHz bandwidth, and input and output reflection below -20 dB from 2 to 45 GHz. The amplifiers' small die size (1.0/spl times/1.7 mm), relatively low power consumption, large output swing, and ability to have dc coupled inputs and outputs enable compact 40-Gb/s optical transmitters with good eye opening for both conventional transmission formats such as nonreturn-to-zero and return-to-zero and alternative formats such as duobinary and differential phase shift keying.     

Theoretical investigation of 8 /spl times/ 10-Gb/s WDM signal transmission performance based on gain-equalized SOAs using backward Raman pumping at DCF

We have theoretically investigated 8 /spl times/ 10-Gb/s wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) signal transmission characteristics based on semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) with equalized gain using discrete Raman amplification (DRA). Gain equalization and low noise figures have been obtained by adjusting the backward Raman pumping power and wavelength at a dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) for each span. Bit-error-rate characteristics were calculated for 8 /spl times/ 10-Gb/s WDM signal transmission over 6 /spl times/ 40-km single-mode fiber (SMF) + DCF links with gain-equalized SOAs using DRAs at DCF. Approximately a 2.5-dB improvement of the receiver sensitivity was achieved by using SOAs and DRAs with optimized Raman pumping. One can easily upgrade the transmission length of a link based on SOAs with an appropriate backward pump laser at each DCF.     

Analysis of optical phase-conjugate characteristics of picosecondfour-wave mixing signals in semiconductor optical amplifiers

We have analyzed for the first time the optical phase-conjugate characteristics of picosecond four-wave mixing (FWM) signals in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) using the finite-difference beam propagation method (FD-BPM). We show that the optical phase-conjugate characteristics of the FWM signals are strongly dependent on input pump pulsewidths. As a typical example, we have demonstrated that SOAs act as an ideal phase-conjugator, within the confines of reversing the chirp of optical pulses, for a 10-ps input pump pulse and a ~2.2-ps linearly chirped input probe pulse. When the pulsewidth of pump pulse becomes short, the minimum compressed pulsewidth is obtained by using a fiber shorter in length than the input fiber, but having the same group velocity dispersion as the input fiber. For a much shorter pump pulse such as 1 ps, the short FWM signal can be obtained via the gating characteristics of the FWM. However, only a part of the phase information is copied to the FWM signal due to such gating characteristics. The phase information is also degraded due to the fast nonlinear effect in the SOA. Thus, the pulsewidth is not compressed by propagation through a dispersive medium     

Sampling pulses with semiconductor optical amplifiers

We demonstrate three techniques to measure the instantaneous frequency and intensity of optical pulses using semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). Four-wave mixing, gain-saturation, and interferometric switching through a nonlinear optical loop mirror are three mechanisms by which sampling is done. We have experimentally measured the intensity and chirp profiles of pulses with energies as low as 10 fJ. Since the nonlinearity in the SOA is relatively slow, these measurement techniques are most appropriate for picosecond pulses often found in telecommunication applications. The temporal resolution of these methods are limited by timing jitter, which was ≈0.5 ps for the mode-locked laser diodes we used in our experiments, and by the width of the switching window     

Lightwave systems with optical amplifiers

Fiber-optic communication systems using semiconductor laser amplifiers are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The noise and bit-error-rate characteristics of lightwave systems with optical amplifiers are calculated and the dependence of system performance on amplifier characteristics such as optical bandwidth, noise figure, gain, etc., is shown. Experimental results for both a 4-Gb/s optical preamplifier as well as coherent and direct detection systems with four inline amplifiers are presented     

Reshaping capability of cross-gain compression in semiconductor amplifiers

We introduce and experimentally demonstrate a novel scheme for all-optical regeneration. We exploit the reshaping properties of cross-gain compression between two logically inverted signals in a gain-saturated semiconductor optical amplifier. This technique performs wavelength-preserving signal reshaping and produces, as an additional output, a wavelength-converted copy of the input signal. We report experimental results showing apparent improvement of the eye diagrams and of the bit-error rate for degraded 10-Gb/s signals.     

High-power ultralow-chirp 10-Gb/s electroabsorption modulator integrated laser with ultrashort photocarrier lifetime

A high-power, ultralow-chirp electroabsorption modulator (EAM) integrated with a distributed-feedback laser diode (EML) having ultrashort lifetime of photogenerated holes in the EAM quantum-well (QW) structure is reported for the first time. A shallow QW structure having a small valence band offset to enhance the sweepout of photogenerated holes was employed as EAM absorption layer. The measured hole lifetimes were 7-11 ps, and the measured frequency chirp (/spl alpha/-parameter) was low or negative at low EAM reverse bias voltages even under high optical output power conditions. Successful 10-Gb/s 80-km normal-dispersion single-mode fiber transmission (chromatic dispersion D=1600 ps/nm) and the record average fiber optical output power (P/sub f/) of +5.3 dBm were achieved at 25/spl deg/C. In addition, semicooled operation of EML at enhanced bit rates has been demonstrated for application in small-form-factor protocol-agnostic optical transceivers. A 10.7-Gb/s 1600-ps/nm transmission was achieved at 45/spl deg/C and P/sub f/=+3.0 dBm.     

Power penalty due to the amplitude and phase response ripple of a dispersion compensating fiber Bragg grating for chirped optical signals

A concise method is presented for rigorously calculating the power penalty due to the combined implications of the amplitude and phase response ripples of a dispersion compensating fiber Bragg grating and the chirp of the transmitted optical signal. By using trigonometric series to represent the ripples, the calculated penalty can be positive or negative, as obtained in numerical simulations and measurements, depending on the signal chirp and ripple within the modulated signal bandwidth. An approximate upper bound on the power penalty is also presented as an extension of earlier results that always yield positive penalties. Calculated and measured results are compared for two 10-Gb/s return-to-zero (RZ) signals with distinct chirp properties.     

Properties of fiber Raman amplifiers and their applicability todigital optical communication systems

Bit error rate performances of fiber Raman amplifiers both as booster amplifiers and as detection preamplifiers are studied in intensity modulation/direct detection optical communication systems. It is theoretically shown that, in the booster amplifier application, receiver sensitivity degradation due to amplification can be made less than 0.2 dB for signal-to-noise power ratio larger than 20 dB, and thus an allowable transmission line loss can be increased approximately by the value of Raman gain. For detection preamplifier use, receiver sensitivities in the Raman preamplifier system are numerically calculated in terms of minimum detectable signal power at 100-Mbit/s and 2-Gbit/s bit rates. In both bit rates, it is shown that, for a Raman gain greater than 20 dB, minimum detectable signal power can be improved by more than 15 dB over the conventional detection level without Raman amplification. Preliminary experiments are carried out using a 1.32-μm Nd:YAG laser and a 1.4-μm laser diode as pump and signal light sources, respectively. The experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical estimations     

All-Optical Packet-Switching Decoder Design and Demonstration at 10 Gb/s

A 3 times 8 all-optical decoder based on cross-polarization modulation in semiconductor optical amplifiers is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. The design requires a single active optical device per output. Experimental results are shown for return-to-zero modulated 10-Gb/s signals. Applications include label processing in optical packet switched optical networks     

Transmission performance analysis of 8/spl times/10 Gb/s WDM signals using cascaded SOAs due to signal wavelength displacement

We have analyzed the transmission performance of 8/spl times/10 Gb/s wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) signals due to crosstalk in cascaded conventional semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). Using two different methods, the crosstalk over the whole gain bandwidth in SOAs is calculated to be 2-5 dB lower for the positive detuning. Then, transmission performance of 8/spl times/10 Gb/s WDM signals up to 6/spl times/40 km span in terms of receiver sensitivity is estimated over various transmission distances using cascaded SOAs for the positive signal wavelength displacement of 30, 40, and 50 nm. Especially for 50 nm detuning, transmission performances with and without using a reservoir channel are similar to each other. Our results suggest that SOAs can be used as an optical amplifier for displacement larger than 50 nm without using the reservoir channel.     

Novel and simple model of 10-Gb/s electroabsorption modulated lasers and its experimental validation of transmission performance due to overshoot of optical signals

We have experimentally and theoretically investigated the transmission performance of 10-Gb/s electroabsorption modulated lasers (EMLs) due to the overshoot of optical pulses. When a highly negative bias voltage is applied to EMLs, the overshoot becomes larger due to nonlinear transfer curves of EMLs. In order to further understand the overshoot effect of optical pulses from EMLs on transmission performance, we propose a novel and simple EML model based on the frequency response (magnitude and phase) and the transfer curves (P-V and /spl alpha/-V) of EMLs. Although the model does not solve the rate equations and the wave equations, it can accurately predict output pulse shapes and the frequency chirp as well as the transmission performance with reducing simulation time. Using the EML model, we can calculate the overshoot and dispersion power penalty due to modulation bandwidth and group delay difference in 10-Gb/s EMLs. Our results suggest that the overshoot should be considered to accurately predict the transmission performance of 10-Gb/s EMLs.     

Optical demultiplexing at 6 Gb/s using a semiconductor laser amplifier as an optical gate

A semiconductor laser amplifier (SLA) has been employed successfully for optical demultiplexing in two-channel optical time division multiplexed system experiments at 6 and 2 Gb/s. Demultiplexing of 6-Gb/s (2-Gb/s) signals was demonstrated with a power penalty of 1.6 dB (3.0 dB) at bit error rates of 10/sup -9/. It is also shown that a reduction of the generated amplified spontaneous emission can be obtained by optical gating/demultiplexing for systems incorporating inline amplifiers. A 0.5-dB improvement in sensitivity was achieved as a result of using an SLA for demultiplexing from 2.0 to 1.0 Gb/s in a system with one inline Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifier.<>     

Comparison of InP/InGaAs DHBT distributed amplifiers as modulator drivers for 80-Gbit/s operation

This paper compares three single-ended distributed amplifiers (DAs) realized in an in-house InP/InGaAs double heterojunction bipolar transistor technology featuring an f/sub t/ and f/sub max/ larger than 200 GHz. The amplifiers use five or eight gain cells with cascode configuration and emitter follower buffering. Although the technology is optimized for mixed-signal circuits for 80 Gbit/s and beyond, DA results could be achieved that demonstrate the suitability of this process for the realization of modulator drivers. The results are documented with scattering parameter, eye diagram, and power measurements. This includes amplifiers featuring a 3-dB bandwidth exceeding 80 GHz and a gain of over 10 dB. One of the amplifiers exhibits clear eyes at 80 Gbit/s with a gain of 14.5 dB and a voltage output swing of 2.4 V/sub pp/ limited by the available digital input signal. This amplifier delivers an output power of 18 dBm (5.1 V/sub pp/) at 40 GHz and 1-dB compression. Two amplifiers offer a tunable gain peaking, which can be used to optimize circuit performance and to compensate losses in the circuit environment. The results show that, using our InP/InGaAs technology, an integration of high-speed mixed-signal circuits (e.g., multiplexers) and high-power modulator drivers on a single chip is feasible.     

Automatic chromatic dispersion compensation using alternating chirp signal for installation of high-speed transmission systems

Proposes a simple automatic chromatic dispersion compensation system that can detect the zero-dispersion point of an installed fiber span. This technique realizes high sensitivity without requiring the system to be extensively modified. The alternating chirp signal, which is used as the zero-dispersion-detection signal, has alternating optical frequency shift. It can be generated simply by changing the input signals of multiplexer circuits and shifting the bias voltage of the LiNbO/sub 3/ modulator. This technique is shown to detect the zero-dispersion point in the range of -600 to +600 ps/nm by using the signal modulated at 10 GHz; automatic dispersion compensation is successfully demonstrated in a 20-Gb/s, 400-km transmission experiment in our laboratory. Compensation is also demonstrated in 281-km-installed dispersion-shifted fiber using a 20-GHz alternating chirp signal.     

Zero-chirp broadband Z-cut Ti:LiNbO/sub 3/ optical modulator using polarization reversal and branch electrode

In this paper, a novel zero-chirp Z-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ optical modulator using ferroelectric polarization reversal and a branch electrode is proposed. The optical modulator with a Ti-diffused optical waveguide had a very small chirp parameter, which was less than 0.02. The performance showed a preferable 10-Gb/s eye opening and bias stability.     

Theory of pulse-train amplification without patterning effects in quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers

A theory for pulse amplification and saturation in quantum dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) is developed. In particular, the maximum bit rate at which a data stream of pulses can be amplified without significant patterning effects is investigated. Simple expressions are derived that clearly show the dependence of the maximum bit rate on material and device parameters. A comparative analysis of QD, quantum well (QW), and bulk SOAs shows that QD SOAs may have superior properties; calculations predict patterning-free amplification up to bit rates of /spl sim/150-200 Gb/s with pulse output energies of /spl sim/0.2-0.4 pJ. The superiority of QD SOAs is based on: 1) the faster achievement of the regime of maximum gain in QD SOAs compared to QW and bulk SOAs and 2) the lower effective cross section of photon-carrier interaction in QDs.     

脉冲形状对半导体激光放大器用于啁啾补偿的影响

光脉冲经过增益饱和的行波半导体激光放大器后,由于放大器的自相位调制,使放大脉冲附加上频率啁啾。合适的附加啁啾不但能抵销入射脉冲的初始啁啾,而且还有可能借助简单的群速度延迟线对脉冲进行压缩。本文计算了不同形状的入射脉冲经光放大器放大后的输出脉冲形状及其附加的频率啁啾,分析了它们对光放大器用于啁啾补偿的影响。     

Reduced crosstalk semiconductor optical amplifiers based on Type-IIquantum wells

It is shown theoretically that semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) with type-II quantum-well active regions in SOAs will have up to 10 dB lower interchannel crosstalk at high (>2.5 Gb/s) data rates. That reduction is attained via the corresponding increase in saturation energy without any reduction in the efficiency