Method and apparatus for controlling a soa-mzi wavelength converter
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorsJoo-youp Kim, Sang-kook Han
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling an optical gain difference and an optical phase difference in a semiconductor optical amplifier-Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) wavelength converter having two arms and that outputs probe output signals POH and POL, corresponding to pump input signals of logic high and logic low, respectively. The controlling includes detecting an optical power level of the output probe signals and controlling at least one of an optical gain difference between the two arms and an optical phase difference between the two arms in accordance with a detected optical power level of the probe output signal.
Claims40
A method of operating a semiconductor optical amplifier-Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) wavelength converter having two arms, a first arm receiving a pump input signal and a probe input signal and a second arm receiving the probe input signal, the SOA-MZI outputting probe output signals POH and POL, which correspond to pump input signals of logic high and logic low, respectively, the method comprising:
- detecting an optical power level of the probe output signals POH and POL;
- and
- controlling at least one of an optical gain difference between the two arms and an optical phase difference φ between the two arms in accordance with the detected optical power level of the probe output signals POH and POL.
An apparatus for controlling a semiconductor optical amplifier-Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) wavelength converter having two arms, including
- a first arm including a first semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) receiving a pump input signal of a binary logic and a probe input signal, and
- a second arm including a second semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) connected in parallel to the first SOA and receiving the probe input signal, the SOA-MZI outputting probe output signals POH and POL, which corresponds to pump input signals of logic high and logic low, respectively, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical gain and optical phase difference control portion receiving a probe output signal, the optical gain and optical phase difference control portion altering at least one of an optical gain difference between the two arms and optical phase difference between the two arms in response to the probe output signal.
An article of manufacture having a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to operate a semiconductor optical amplifier-Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) wavelength converter having two arms, a first arm receiving a pump input signal and a probe input signal and a second arm receiving the probe input signal, the SOA-MZI outputting probe output signals POH and POL, which correspond to pump input signals of logic high and logic low, respectively, the operation comprising:
- detecting an optical power level of the probe output signals POH and POL;
- and
- controlling at least one of an optical gain difference between the two arms and an optical phase difference φ between the two arms in accordance with the detected optical power level of the probe output signals POH and POL.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.