Four-wave-mixing based optical wavelength converter device

An apparatus for an optical network node, comprising:

• a routing element with at least one input port and a plurality of output ports for interconnecting each input port with at least one corresponding output port;
• at least one wavelength converter device for generating a converted radiation at frequency ωg through interaction between at least one signal radiation at frequency ωs and at least one pump radiation at frequency ωp, comprising:
• an input for said at least one signal radiation at frequency ωs;
• a pump light source for generating said at least one pump radiation at frequency ωp;
• an output for taking out said converted radiation at frequency ωg;
• and
• a structure for transmitting said signal and pump radiation, said structure including an optical resonator comprising a non-linear material, having an optical length of at least 40*λ/2, wherein λ is the wavelength of the pump radiation, and resonating at the pump, signal and converted frequencies ωp, ωs and ωg,
• said structure comprising a further optical resonator coupled in series to said optical resonator, said further optical resonator comprising a non-linear material, having an optical length of at least 40*λ/2, wherein λ is the wavelength of the pump radiation, and resonating at the pump, signal and converted frequencies ωp, ωs and ωg;
• wherein by propagating through said structure the pump and signal radiation generate said converted radiation by non-linear interaction within each of said optical resonators, and
• said at least one wavelength converter device being optically coupled to one of the ports of said routing element.

An optical communication line comprising an optical transmission path for transmitting at least one signal radiation at frequency ωs, and a wavelength converter device for generating a converted radiation at frequency ωg through interaction between said at least one signal radiation at frequency ωs and at least one pump radiation at frequency ωp, comprising:

• an input for said at least one signal radiation at frequency ωs;
• a pump light source for generating said at least one pump radiation at frequency ωp;
• an output for taking out said converted radiation at frequency ωg;
• and
• a structure for transmitting said signal and pump radiation, said structure including an optical resonator comprising a non-linear material, having an optical length of at least 40*λ/2, wherein λ is the wavelength of the pump radiation, and resonating at the pump, signal and converted frequencies ωp, ωs and ωg,
• said structure comprising a further optical resonator coupled in series to said optical resonator, said further optical resonator comprising a non-linear material, having an optical length of at least 40*λ/2, wherein λ is the wavelength of the pump radiation, and resonating at the pump, signal and converted frequencies ωp, ωs and ωg;
• wherein by propagating through said structure the pump and signal radiation generate said converted radiation by non-linear interaction within each of said optical resonators,
• said wavelength converter device being optically coupled to said optical transmission path.