Martin Rochette

Investigation of self-phase modulation based optical regeneration in single mode As2Se3 chalcogenide glass fiber.

We investigate the feasibility of all-optical regeneration based on self-phase modulation in single mode As2Se3 chalcogenide fiber. By combining the chalcogenide fiber with a bandpass filter, we achieve a near step-like power transfer function with no pulse distortion. The device is shown to operate with 5.8 ps duration pulses, thus demonstrating the feasibility of this device operating with high bit-rate data signals. These results are achieved with pulse peak powers <10 W in a fully passive device, including only 2.8 m of chalcogenide fiber. We obtain an excellent agreement between theory and experiment and show that both the high nonlinearity of the chalcogenide glass along with its high normal dispersion near 1550 nm enables a significant device length reduction in comparison with silica-based devices, without compromise on the performance. We find that even for only a few meters of fiber, the large normal dispersion of the chalcogenide glass inhibits spectral oscillations that would appear with self-phase modulation alone. We measure the two photon absorption attenuation coefficient and find that it advantageously affects the device transfer function.

Integrated all-optical pulse regenerator in chalcogenide waveguides

We report a fully integrated, passive, all-optical regenerator capable of terabit per second operation, based on a highly nonlinear chalcogenide (As2S3) glass rib waveguide followed by an integrated Bragg grating bandpass filter. We demonstrate a clear nonlinear power transfer curve with 1.4 ps optical pulses, capable of improving the signal-to-noise ratio and reducing the bit error rate for digital signals.

2R optical regeneration: an all-optical solution for BER improvement

We show both theoretically and experimentally that signal re-amplifying and reshaping (2R) optical regenerator based on self-phase-modulation (SPM)-induced spectral broadening followed by optical filtering has significant advantages over conventional 2R regenerators. By discriminating amplified spontaneous emission noise from a pulsed signal, the SPM-based regenerator is able to selectively attenuate noise more than the pulsed signal. This unique feature results in a direct improvement in bit-error ratio (BER) of a noisy pulsed signal, whereas conventional 2R regenerators can only prevent BER degradation-not actually improve it. We compare the two classes of regenerator and highlight their fundamental differences. We also demonstrate the BER improvement of a noisy signal filtered with an SPM-based regenerator that utilizes a highly nonlinear silica fiber, and present a compact version by exploiting a short length of As2Se3 chalcogenide glass fiber

Self-phase modulation-based integrated optical regeneration in chalcogenide waveguides

We demonstrate integrated all-optical 2R regenerators based on Kerr optical nonlinearities (subpicosecond response) in chalcogenide glass waveguides with integrated Bragg grating filters. By combining a low loss As/sub 2/S/sub 3/ rib waveguide with an in-waveguide photo-written Bragg grating filter, we realize an integrated all-optical 2R signal regenerator with the potential to process bit rates in excess of 1 Tb/s. The device operates using a combination of self phase modulation induced spectral broadening followed by a linear filter offset from the input center wavelength. A nonlinear power transfer curve is demonstrated using 1.4 ps pulses, sufficient for suppressing noise in an amplified transmission link. We investigate the role of dispersion on the device transfer characteristics, and discuss future avenues to realizing a device capable of operation at subwatt peak power levels.

Error free all optical wavelength conversion in highly nonlinear As-Se chalcogenide glass fiber

We present the first demonstration of all optical wavelength conversion in chalcogenide glass fiber including system penalty measurements at 10 Gb/s. Our device is based on As2Se3 chalcogenide glass fiber which has the highest Kerr nonlinearity (n(2)) of any fiber to date for which either advanced all optical signal processing functions or system penalty measurements have been demonstrated. We achieve wavelength conversion via cross phase modulation over a 10 nm wavelength range near 1550 nm with 7 ps pulses at 2.1 W peak pump power in 1 meter of fiber, achieving only 1.4 dB excess system penalty. Analysis and comparison of the fundamental fiber parameters, including nonlinear coefficient, two-photon absorption coefficient and dispersion parameter with other nonlinear glasses shows that As(2)Se(3) based devices show considerable promise for radically integrated nonlinear signal processing devices.

Bit-error-ratio improvement with 2R optical regenerators

We show that an all-optical optical regenerator can improve the bit-error ratio (BER) of a signal passing through it only if the regenerator has different power transfer functions for the logical ones and logical zeros. A regenerator that operates with a single transfer function-which constitute most of optical regenerators reported in the literature-cannot improve the BER, but can only reduce the BER degradation when, for example, placed before optical amplifiers. Of all the optical regenerators reported to date, only the one proposed by Mamyshev, based on filtering a self-phase modulated signal, has different transfer functions for the logical ones and the logical zeros. This makes the Mamyshev scheme a superior candidate for ultrahigh-speed all-optical regeneration.

All-optical in-band OSNR monitoring at 40 Gb/s using a nonlinear optical loop mirror

We present an all-optical in-band optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) monitor using a nonlinear optical loop mirror. Monitoring is enabled from the nonlinear power transfer function of the loop mirror. Experimental results are provided at 40 Gb/s for three modulation formats: nonreturn-to-zero, carrier-suppressed return-to-zero, and return-to-zero. The monitor discriminates the various OSNR levels over a dynamic range of more than 25 dB with every modulation format

Adjustable bandwidth dispersionless bandpass FBG optical filter

A bandpass optical filter, based on fiber Bragg gratings, is presented in which the bandwidth of a Gaussian spectrum can be continuously adjusted, whilst maintaining near zero group delay slope over the filter bandwidth. The device is also wavelength tunable and the spectral profile is selectable by appropriate grating design. This novel device is employed in a 2R-regenerator, enabling data rate reconfiguration and wavelength conversion, with negligible phase distortion. It will find application wherever a dispersionless reconfigurable bandpass optical filter is required.

Two-photon absorption effects on self-phase-modulation-based 2R optical regeneration

We theoretically investigate the influence of two-photon absorption (TPA) on the performance of self-phase-modulation-based signal regenerators using a split-step Fourier method. Simulations with 40-Gb/s return-to-zero data bit streams show that a device with TPA can improve the signal (higher output Q-factor) significantly more than a device with no TPA, and that the figure of merit of chalcogenide is close to optimal. This contrasts with the effects of TPA on nonlinear switching, which are always detrimental

Generation of a 4 /spl times/ 100 GHz pulse-train from a single-wavelength 10-GHz mode-locked laser using superimposed fiber Bragg gratings and nonlinear conversion

In this paper, the design of a simple and practical repetition-rate multiplier based on superimposed-chirped fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) is presented. A tenfold increase in the repetition rate of a mode-locked fiber source, by generating a 100-GHz optical pulse train from a 10-GHz train, is demonstrated experimentally. As compared with previous demonstrations, the superimposed FBG filter was specifically designed to decrease the duty cycle of the generated pulse train or, in other words, decrease the pulsewidth. In addition, a fiber nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) is used to eliminate the pulse-to-pulse phase fluctuations in the output high-repetition-rate train and to achieve a wavelength-tunable transform-limited pulse sequence. Moreover, it is shown that nonlinear conversion using the NOLM can be used to simultaneously generate multiwavelength high-repetition-rate optical pulse trains (4 /spl times/ 100 GHz in the example shown here).