A novel optical clock pulse-train generator with self-stabilization by SOA and saturable absorber

We propose a novel optical clock pulse-train generator for processing preamble-free arbitrary-length burst-mode optical packets. The generator is based on an optical loop that includes a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and a spin-polarized saturable absorber (SA), where the loop gain is being self-stabilized with a negative feedback by the gain saturation in the SOA. The SA and a backward optical pulse launched into the SOA effectively prevent lasing of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). As a result, a stable optical pulse train with more than 50 pulses is generated from a single 10-ps optical pulse even with a variation of 10 dB in the incident pulse energy.