Laser-Diode Switches for Optical Digital Signal Processing

摘要

Digital photonic devices are advantageous for use in cascaded optical networks because they are basically free from signal loss, crosstalk and bit degradation due to bit by bit signal-regeneration. The side-injection-light-controlled bistable laser-diode (SILC-BLD) has integrated optical digital functions, such as gating for input signals, digital regeneration and bit memory characteristics. This ipaper reviews the structure and functions of the SILC-BLD and shows its suitability for the typical applications of digital wavelength conversion, fiber loop memory, and bit-width conversion.