Opto-VLSI-based correlator architecture for multiwavelength optical header recognition

A novel optical correlator employing an opto-very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) processor to construct the routing lookup table, in conjunction with an array of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) for multiwavelength optical header recognition is demonstrated. The FBG array provides wavelength-dependent time delays, whereas the opto-VLSI processor generates wavelength intensity profiles that match arbitrary bit patterns. The recognition of 4-b optical patterns is experimentally demonstrated at 2.2 Gb/s by showing that the correlator produces an autocorrelation waveform of high peak whenever the input bit pattern matches the wavelength intensity profile.