Abstract

Wavelength converters, which transform information from one wavelength to another, accompanied by regeneration of the input signal, are promising components in the future optical broadband networks. In these large capacity wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) systems, wavelength conversion is used for routing and multiplexing. The objective is to achieve high speed operation simultaneously with regeneration of the input signal under a moderate input power within a large input and output wavelength range. Some of the different solutions to realize this function are reviewed in the following: absorption in bistable lasers,¹ carrier depletion in distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) lasers,² injection locking in distributed feedback (DFB)³ or interferometric Y lasers,⁴ and gain saturation in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA).^5,6

© 1994 IEEE