All-optical triode based on a tandem wavelength converter using reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers

An all-optical triode based on a tandem wavelength converter was realized using cross-gain modulation in two reflective InGaAsP-InP semiconductor optical amplifiers. The optical output power at the 1555-nm wavelength could be varied from 0.1 to 3.3 mW by a control beam having the same wavelength. The output-input gain parameter can be changed from 0 to 1.6 when the average control power is altered from 0 to 48 μW. The output-control amplification parameter depends on the control and the input power. The all-optical triode has the input-output transfer function that is similar to the voltage-current characteristic of the triode in electronics.