Mikael Guegan

All-optical logic NOR gate using two-cascaded semiconductor optical amplifiers

The authors present a novel all-optical logic NOR gate using two-cascaded semiconductor optical. amplifiers (SOAs) in a counterpropagating feedback configuration. This configuration accentuates the gain nonlinearity due to the mutual gain modulation of the two SOAs. The all-optical NOR gate feasibility has been demonstrated delivering an extinction ratio higher than 12 dB over a wide range of wavelength.

Quasi-all-optical network extension for submarine cabled observatories

Submarine cabled networks are designed to collect valuable data in geophysics, geochemistry, biology, or oceanography. Unfortunately, the development of such a network is expensive and needs complex subsea infrastructures. Once in place, a cabled network cannot be easily relocated. The current cost of cables and their installation are one of the major obstacles to these networks deployment. On the one hand, these cables are necessary to provide power supply and communication data, and on the other hand they drastically reduce the possibilities to extend the cabled observatory network in order to reach a closed area of significant interest. This is why, to address this issue, we propose a quasi-all-optical architecture to easily extend multidisciplinary cabled networks or to create a dedicated submarine hydrophone or seismometer network. This solution consists of using only a single fiber optic to transmit both the energy, required to supply the instrument, and the data, exchanged between the shore station or equivalent. In this paper, we present our proposed architecture, and we discuss its feasibility thanks to experimental results.

Analysis of the sign reversal of the photodetected signal response in a multielectrode semiconductor optical amplifier

We present a theoretical analysis and experimental results for a two-electrode (200 /spl mu/m/spl times/300 /spl mu/m) 1.5-/spl mu/m semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) used in photodetection. The experimental results show that at a particular operating point regarding current and optical input power, a sign reversal of the photodetected signal response, and a frequency bandwidth shape modification are obtained at the SOA front contact. These results are confirmed by simulation and explained by the developed theoretical photodetection expression obtained by small signal analysis from the rate equation.

Polarimetric analysis of a semiconductor optical amplifier based on the Mueller-Stokes formalism

Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) are of central interest as multifunctional, easy-to-integrate components for the development of future optoelectronic systems. Their dependence upon the incoming light polarization is a well-known, but still debated, issue in the context of emerging optical telecommunication networks, fueling the need for a detailed polarimetric characterization of such structures. In this paper, we present what we believe to be the first systematic polarimetric analysis within the frame of the Mueller-Stokes formalism of an integrated InP/InGaAsP SOA around 1550 nm. The challenge stems from the amplifying, active, spectrally broadband and nonlinear nature of the component. For the sake of our study, we have developed a highly sensitive, free-space, polarimetric set-up, with the additional experimental challenge induced by the spatial constraints of a guided-wave device, most notably in terms of light injection. Physical phenomena (intrinsic noise contribution of internal sources, carrier saturation due in particular to Amplified Spontaneous Emission, modal birefringence for index and gain...) responsible for the polarization dependence of the amplification process are identified, and discussion of the data highlights the need for an extended matrix formalism taking explicitly internal sources into account.

A semi-phenomenological model for the material gain of broadband MQW-SOAs

We propose a semi-phenomenological model to calculate the material gain of multiple quantum well broadband Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA). We show that this proposed model permits to fit well the experimental results of a broadband SOA gain and noise figure over a range of 100nm.

Raman amplification in an optically high-powered data link dedicated to a 10 km long extension for submarine cabled observatories

We describe a quasi-all-optical extension dedicated to simplifying the deployment of submarine cabled observatories. Based on power-over-fiber technologies, high power supply and data are both transmitted in one optical fiber of a few kilometers in length. We study the Raman amplification on the down- and up-stream data in the static regime with the high optical power varying from 100 mW to 4 W over a 10 km long single-mode optical fiber. We focus on the data optical budget and signal to noise ratio dependence with respect to the high optical power value and the data optical wavelength. We also present the transmission quality in the dynamic regime of this quasi-all-optical extension.

All-Optical Inverted and Non-Inverted Wavelength Conversion Based on Cross Polarization Modulation in a Semiconductor Optical Amplifier

In this paper, we present the experimental realization of all-optical inverted and non-inverted wavelength conversion based on cross polarization modulation (XPolM) in a semiconductor optical amplifier. The novel and attractive feature in our work is that both all-optical functions can be obtained without changing the set-up configuration. Switching between non-inverted and inverted conversion is done by only adjusting the mean optical power of the pump signal. For both functions, we show that the extinction ratio (ER) of the converted signal can exceed 11 dB in the dynamic configuration at a bit rate of 5 Gbit/s with a NRZ 210-1 PRBS input pump signal.

Fast in-line photodetection potentiality of long Multielectrode Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (MSOAs)

Both thanks to their capability to operate as multifunctional devices, their compatibility with numerous optical passive or active devices and their potentially low cost, Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) have demonstrated their attractiveness for lightwave communication systems and future integrated photonic circuits. In this context, we have studied in detail their photodetection functionality. The photodetection realization is very attractive with a SOA since it can be achieved in-line, in the amplification regime enabling good responsivity[4] and without optical withdrawal. In this paper, we report our latest results about the in-line photodetection performances of Multielectrode SOAs (MSOAs), showing that they can be of great usefulness to optimize the reception and to perform fast in-line photodetection. The dynamic measurement experimental results, obtained by using a bielectrode SOA (300μm-200μm) and by detecting on its rear contact, show a bandwidth of about 1,2GHz which gives an idea of MSOAs potentiality. The latter has been investigated in this work by simulation especially for the long MSOAs and the results reveal that the bandwidth can significantly be enhanced, by simultaneously increasing the SOA total length and reducing the detection contact length, allowing a high speed photodetection on a wide band of frequency of about 7GHz centered on 4GHz with a 2mm long component having a 100μm rear contact length.

A bidirectional and versatile power-over-fiber system for seafloor observatories

A Power-over-fiber extension for an existing fixed seabed observatory is presented in this contribution. The system is characterized by its versatility in respect to the sensors with which it can operate. Turbidimetry tests and results are presented.

Modeling of a 10-km optical link exploiting power-over-fiber for cabled submarine observatories

Abstract. The modeling of the simultaneous propagation of high-power and bidirectional data along the same 10-km-long single-mode fiber is discussed. The intense signal carries the energy needed to supply an instrument in the context of cabled submarine observatories. The considered mathematical description takes into account the fiber’s nonlinear behavior in terms of Raman and Brillouin scattering to describe spectral propagation in the static regime. By testing our model against measurements, its validity is evaluated. Preliminary results are promising and reveal the path to follow for its improvement.