Controllable all-optical switch using an EDF-ring coupled M-Z Interferometer

Author

Bananej, A. ; Li, C.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Phys., Harbin Inst. of Technol., China

Volume

16

Issue

9

fYear

2004

Firstpage

2102

Lastpage

2104

Abstract

We propose a new all-optical switch for 1.55-μm signal by using an erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring resonator coupled to one arm of Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Because of the high nonlinearity of EDF and compensating losses in the ring by the gain of EDF amplifier, the switching power-length product is reduced to the order of 10/sup -4/ Wm. When we design the device with the ring length of 0.3 m, and adjust the 980-nm pump power from 14 to 19 mW, the gain changes from 3 to 4 dB, and then the switching power and switching time can be changed from 6 to 11 mW and 22 to 16 ns, respectively.

Keywords

Mach-Zehnder interferometers; erbium; nonlinear optics; optical fibre amplifiers; optical resonators; optical switches; 0.3 m; 1.55 mum; 1.55-/spl mu/m signal; 14 to 19 mW; 22 to 16 ns; 4 dB; 6 to 22 mW; 980 nm; 980-nm pump power; EDF-ring coupled MZ interferometer; Er; Mach-Zehnder interferometer; controllable all-optical switch; erbium-doped fiber amplifier; erbium-doped fiber ring resonator; nonlinear optics; switching power; switching power-length product; switching time; Absorption; Communication switching; Erbium-doped fiber amplifier; Optical control; Optical fiber communication; Optical fiber devices; Optical interferometry; Optical ring resonators; Optical switches; Silicon compounds;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1041-1135

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/LPT.2004.833054

Filename

1325246