Femtosecond all-optical devices for ultrafast communication and signal processing

Future bandwidth demand in optical communication and signal processing systems will soon exceed 100 Gb s(-1) as is commonly forecasted from a throughput experience curve for communication systems. However, such systems cannot be realized without introducing ultrafast, all-optical devices, since existing optoelectronic and electronic devices and integrated circuits would not be able to function at a bit rate exceeding 100 Gb s(-1), because of the speed limit intrinsic to conventional semiconductor materials and devices. All-optical devices based on completely new principles, not being restricted by properties of existing materials and device principles, must be developed for the realization of ultrafast communication and signal processing systems. This paper reviews requirements of ultrafast all-optical devices and recent progress in ultrafast light sources and all-optical switches based on either novel device principles or ultrafast phenomena in novel materials such as quantum-confined nanostructures. Recent developments described here include mode-locked lasers and a variety of all-optical switches based on different phenomena including Mach-Zehnder interferometer structures, spin relaxation, intersubband transition, and ultrafast absorption recovery in organic thin films and semiconductor quantum dots. Some of the recent developments have already shown capability of basic functions such as ultrafast pulse generation and signal processing at the bit rate of 500 Gb s(-1) to 1 Tb s(-1). Technical challenges expected for the future are discussed in view of their applications in real systems.