Low input power (-10 dBm) SOA-PLC hybrid integrated wavelength converter and its 8-slot equipment

We successfully achieved -10 dBm signal power and -10 dBm CW power operation using a hybrid integrated wavelength converter at 10 Gb/s without an optical preamplifier. Clear eye opening and a low power penalty less than 1 dB were achieved for all 8 slots.

Introduction

All-optical wavelength converters based on cross-phase modulation (XPM) are expected to be key elements in future photonic networks, for their regeneration capability with lower output chirp. So far, good performance in the NRZ format has been demonstrated using semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) [1], [2]. We have developed 10 Gb/s hybrid modules using Michelson interferometers [3], [4]. However, relatively high input power, more than about 0 dBm, was needed for the above operation.