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Ultra-fast quantum-well saturable absorber devices and their application to all-optical regeneration of telecommunication optical signals

Dispositifs à absorbant saturable ultra-rapide à puits quantiques et application à la régénération tout-optique des signaux de télécommunication

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Abstract

We review recent advances in the investigation of vertical cavity saturable absorber devices and their use for the all-optical regeneration of telecommunication signals in ultra-long-haul transmission systems. Such devices are polarization-insensitive and operate as fully passive nonlinear optical elements. Two approaches for obtaining fast recovery absorber materials are described, relying upon ion irradiation or upon iron doping. The vertical micro-cavity devices are designed so as to optimize the switching contrast and the operating power. Their functional behaviour as extinction ratio amplifiers has been characterized and their optimal operating conditions have been determined. The potential application of these devices to all-optical regeneration has been investigated through numerical simulations and fully demonstrated in several long-distance transmission loop experiments, with results obtained at 10, 20 and 40 Gbit/s, showing significant improvements in system haul or operational margins. A four-channel fibered module has also been fabricated, as a perspective towards the development of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) saturable absorber modules.

Résumé

Nous décrivons les développements récents de dispositifs absorbants saturables à cavité verticale et leur intérêt pour la régénération tout-optique des signaux dans les systèmes de transmission à très longue distance. Ces dispositifs insensibles à la polarisation sont utilisés comme éléments non-linéaires totalement passifs. Deux approches permettant un recouvrement rapide des matériaux absorbants sont décrites, l’une par irradiation ionique, l’autre par dopage au fer. Les microcavités verticales sont conçues de manière à optimiser le contraste de commutation et la puissance optique nominale. Leur comportement en tant qu’amplificateur de taux d’extinction a été caractérisé et les conditions pour un fonctionnement optimal déterminées. Leur application potentielle à la régénération tout-optique est examinée au travers de simulations numériques, et démontrée dans des expérimentations de transmission sur boucle à recirculation à 10, 20 et 40 Gbit/s, montrant des améliorations significatives de portée ou de marges. Un module fibré à 4 canaux a été réalisé dans la perspective d’un développement pour les signaux multiplexés en longueurs d’onde (WDM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures (CNRS-UPR20) route de Nozay, 91460, Marcoussis, France

    Jean -Louis Oudar & Guy Aubin

  2. Institut d’Electronique Fondamentale (CNRS — UMR 8622), Bât. 220, Université Paris-Sud, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France

    Juliette Mangeney

  3. Laboratoire de Physique du Solid, INSA de Rennes, 20 avenue des Buttes de Coësmes, 35043, Rennes Cedex, France

    Slimane Loualiche

  4. Laboratoire d’Optronique (CNRS-UMR 6082), ENSSAT, 6 rue de Kerampont, 22305, Lannion Cedex, France

    Jean -Claude Simon

  5. Alcatel R&I, route de Nozay, 91460, Marcoussis, France

    Alexandre Shen & Olivier Leclerc

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  1. Jean -Louis Oudar
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  2. Guy Aubin
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  3. Juliette Mangeney
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Oudar, J.L., Aubin, G., Mangeney, J. et al. Ultra-fast quantum-well saturable absorber devices and their application to all-optical regeneration of telecommunication optical signals. Ann. Télécommun. 58, 1667–1707 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03001222

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