Konstantinos Yiannopoulos

A review of communication-oriented optical wireless systems

This article presents an overview of optical wireless (OW) communication systems that operate both in the short- (personal and indoor systems) and the long-range (outdoor and hybrid) regimes. Each of these areas is discussed in terms of (a) key requirements, (b) their application framework, (c) major impairments and applicable mitigation techniques, and (d) current and/or future trends. Personal communication systems are discussed within the context of point-to-point ultra-high speed data transfer. The most relevant application framework and related standards are presented, including the next generation Giga-IR standard that extends personal communication speeds to over 1 Gb/s. As far as indoor systems are concerned, emphasis is given on modeling the dispersive nature of indoor OW channels, on the limitations that dispersion imposes on user mobility and dispersion mitigation techniques. Visible light communication systems, which provide both illumination and communication over visible or hybrid visible/infrared LEDs, are presented as the most important representative of future indoor OW systems. The discussion on outdoor systems focuses on the impact of atmospheric effects on the optical channel and associated mitigation techniques that extend the realizable link lengths and transfer rates. Currently, outdoor OW is commercially available at 10 Gb/s Ethernet speeds for Metro networks and Local-Area-Network interconnections and speeds are expected to increase as faster and more reliable optical components become available. This article concludes with hybrid optical wireless/radio-frequency (OW/RF) systems that employ an additional RF link to improve the overall system reliability. Emphasis is given on cooperation techniques between the reliable RF subsystem and the broadband OW system.

All-optical signal Processing and applications within the esprit project DO/spl I.bar/ALL

This paper reviews the work performed under the European ESPRIT project DO/spl I.bar/ALL (Digital OpticAL Logic modules) spanning from advanced devices (semiconductor optical amplifiers) to all-optical modules (laser sources and gates) and from optical signal processing subsystems (packet clock recovery, optical write/store memory, and linear feedback shift register) to their integration in the application level for the demonstration of nontrivial logic functionality (all-optical bit-error-rate tester and a 2/spl times/2 exchange-bypass switch). The successful accomplishment of the projects goals has opened the road for the implementation of more complex ultra-high-speed all-optical signal processing circuits that are key elements for the realization of all-optical packet switching networks.

Clock recovery circuit for optical packets

We demonstrate an all-optical clock recovery circuit for operation with short data packets of 10-Gb/s rate. The circuit uses a Fabry-Perot etalon and a nonlinear UNI gate and is capable of acquiring the clock signal within a few bits.

All-optical packet address and payload separation

An all-optical address and data separation scheme is presented for short 10-Gb/s packets. The technique uses a novel packet clock recovery circuit that consists of a Fabry-Perot filter and a ultrafast nonlinear interferometer (UNI) gate to generate a local packet clock. A second cascaded UNI gate is used to separate the header and the payload, performing a simple AND operation between the packet and its self-derived clock. The proposed technique requires a small number of bits as guard band and this number is independent of the line rate.

Multiwavelength and power equalized SOA laser sources

Multiwavelength and power-equalized operation is demonstrated in a semiconductor optical amplifier ring laser that uses a fiber Fabry-Perot filter. By using single-pass optical feedback, the power-equalized oscillating spectrum is broadened so that simultaneous oscillation of 52 lines spaced at 50 GHz is achieved. The lines had 500 MHz width were power-equalized to within 0.3 dB and the extinction was better than 32 dB.

Rate multiplication by double-passing fabry-Perot filtering

We present a new technique for extending the decay time of the impulse response function of a Fabry-Perot filter while simultaneously maintaining a large bandwidth. It involves double passing through the filter and it can be used for the easy multiplication of the repetition rate of optical sources. We apply the concept to a 10-GHz pulse train to demonstrate experimentally the rate quadruplication to 40 GHz.

Standards for indoor Optical Wireless Communications

The application of Optical Wireless Communications (OWC) has grown in recent years that the whole industry would benefit from common standards to which competitive products comply. Standards are essential, particularly when the market expands into high-volume products like home appliances and other consumer goods. This article offers a timely review of standards-writing activity, as OWCs find their way into diverse products varying from TV remote controls to satellite links. This article discusses the most popular standards for optical wireless communications. We outline the IEEE 802.11 standard for optical wireless local area networks, and the ongoing standardization effort by IrDA on personal optical wireless systems. The article concludes with a discussion of the recently announced IEEE 802.15.7 standard on visible light communications.

Optically addressable 2 x 2 exchange/bypass packet switch

In this letter, we demonstrate an optically addressable 2 /spl times/ 2 exchange-bypass switch operating with 10-Gb/s data packets. Switching is achieved at the bit level using an ultrafast nonlinear interferometer gate with two input data signals and a single control signal. The bit error rate of the switch in a static configuration was estimated to be 10/sup -11/ using synchronous digital hierarchy 64 data frames.

Pulse repetition frequency multiplication with spectral selection in Fabry-Perot filters

We present methods for obtaining high-repetition-rate full duty-cycle RZ optical pulse trains from lower rate laser sources. These methods exploit the memory properties of the Fabry-Perot filter for rate multiplication, while amplitude equalization in the output pulse train is achieved with a semiconductor optical amplifier or with a second transit through the Fabry-Perot filter. We apply these concepts to experimentally demonstrate rate quadruplication from 10 to 40 GHz and discuss the possibility of taking advantage of the proposed methods to achieve repetition rates up to 160 GHz.

All-optical clock recovery from short asynchronous data packets at 10 Gb/s

In this letter, we demonstrate clock extraction from 10-Gb/s asynchronous short data packets. Successful clock acquisition is achieved from data packets arriving at time intervals of only 1.5 ns, irrespective of their precise phase relation. The clock recovery circuit used consists of a Fabry-Perot filter and an ultrafast nonlinear interferometer gate and requires very short time for synchronization.