WAVELENGTH CONVERSION AT 10 GB/S USING A SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIER

Data at 10 Gb/s has been translated from an input signal wavelength to another wavelength, either longer dr shorter, using gain compression in a 1.5-mu m semiconductor optical amplifier for wavelength conversion. To achieve operation at such high bit rates, the probe (shifted) input must be intense enough to compress significantly the gain of the amplifier. This reduces the gain recovery time of the amplifier because of probe stimulated emission. A consequence of the intense probe is an extinction ratio reduction. Using moderate input powers, wavelength conversion is achieved over a 17 nm (2 THz) range, with 0.7-3 dB power penalties.