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International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks

Optical Processing with Slow Wave Structures: Properties and Applications

Andrea Ivano Melloni, Francesco Morichetti, Filippo Persia, Cristina Canavesi, Rocco Siano, Mario Martinelli

Published Jun 1, 2006• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The possibility of dynamically controlling the speed of light can be extremely useful in all the optical applications where a variable delay is needed, such as bit and frame synchronization and optical storage. To this aim, coupled resonator slow-wave structures (SWSs) represent a promising approach to slow down the propagation of optical signals with as large bandwidths as required by optical communication systems. We show that by suitably setting the rings' resonances, SWSs can act efficiently as tunable delay lines, with the overall time delay being continuously adjustable from zero to a maximum value, typically limited by the effects of loss and dispersion. Every ring of the structure can be used as an optical gate and optical pulses can also be trapped and released by the SWS, so as to realize an optical memory or buffer. A time delay of 300 ps and a slowing ratio of 7.5 over a 3.3 GHz bandwidth are experimentally demonstrated in SWSs realized in silicon oxynitride technology

DOI
10.1109/icton.2006.248373

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The possibility of dynamically controlling the speed of light can be extremely useful in all the optical applications where a variable delay is needed, such as bit and frame synchronization and optical storage. To this aim, coupled resonator slow-wave structures (SWSs) represent a promising approach to slow down the propagation of optical signals with as large bandwidths as required by optical communication systems. We show that by suitably setting the rings' resonances, SWSs can act efficiently as tunable delay lines, with the overall time delay being continuously adjustable from zero to a maximum value, typically limited by the effects of loss and dispersion. Every ring of the structure can be used as an optical gate and optical pulses can also be trapped and released by the SWS, so as to realize an optical memory or buffer. A time delay of 300 ps and a slowing ratio of 7.5 over a 3.3 GHz bandwidth are experimentally demonstrated in SWSs realized in silicon oxynitride technology
As a potential enabling technology, slow light has captured much research interest over the past few years for achieving a continuously tunable optical delay line [1]. In principle, slow light is generated by tailoring an enhanced group-index resonance within a given nonlinear medium. This effective refractive index change is experienced by the data stream passing through and thus induces a controllable group delay onto the signal. Themain feature of a slow-light-based optical delay line is the capability for fine-grain temporal manipulation of optical pulses. This fine tunable delay element is envisioned to be useful for various high-bandwidth signal processing functions and applications.
All resonant systems throughout science and engineering, independent of their physical implementation have a bandwidth that is inversely related to the decay time. A similar relation exists in all slow-light systems, where the group index (and therefore the delay for a given footprint) is inversely related to the bandwidth. Therefore, resonant or slow-light systems can either store a broad signal for a short time, or a narrow signal for a long time, but cannot achieve large delay for broad bandwidth signals.Here we discuss our recent work on non-reciprocal optical systems that are not constrained by the delay-bandwidth limit. We show that large, broadband optical delay is not a pipe dream and is achievable with current optical technology. We discuss the underlying physics of delay and bandwidth in non-reciprocal optical systems and present an experimental implementation, based on a figure-9 cavity. We demonstrate a delay-bandwidth product 30 times above the seemingly fundamental time-bandwidth limit of traditional systems. Furthermore, we show that the optical pulse can be released after an arbitrary number of round trips, providing the control and tunability lacking from conventional spiral waveguide or fibre loop delay lines.
The ability to manipulate the speed of light has recently become one of the most exciting emergent topics in optics. There are several experimental demonstrations showing the capability to slow down light more than six orders of magnitude in a variety of media, ranging from atomic vapor, solid state crystal, to semiconductors. These results have led to intensive research into new materials, devices, and system studies that examine their impact to new applications. It is believed that we are on the verge of a dramatic change in the way we envision and construct communication, processing and control systems. One direct application of slow and fast light devices is in the area of communications. One grand challenge remaining in information technology today is to store and buffer optical signals directly in optical format. As such, optical signals must be converted to electronic signals to route, switch, or be processed. This resulted in significant latencies and traffic congestions in current networks. In addition, keeping the data in optical domain during the routing process can greatly reduce the power, complexity and size of the routers. To this end, a controllable optical delay line can effectively function as an optical buffer, and the storage is proportional to the variability of the group velocity. In addition to optical buffers, slow and fast light devices can be used as tunable true-time delay elements in microwave photonics, which are important for remotely controlling phased array antenna. Other novel applications include nonlinear optics, optical signal processing, and quantum information processing. There are various approaches that can be used to vary the optical group velocity. Ultraslow or fast group velocity may result from a large material dispersion, waveguide dispersion, or both. In this paper, the authors provide a review of recent progress of slow and fast light using semiconductor devices. Specifically, they will discuss results obtained using semiconductor quantum-well/quantum-dot absorber and optical amplifiers. Slow and fast light are controllable electrically by changing the bias current or voltage as well as optically by changing the pump laser intensity and wavelength. Delay-bandwidth tradeoff and other figures of merits are analyzed
Tunable optical delay lines have many applications for high-performance optical switching and signal processing. Slow light has emerged as an enabling technology for achieving continuously tunable optical delays. Delay reconfigurability opens up a whole new field of nonlinear signal processing using slow light. In this paper, the authors review recent advances in slow-light-based optical signal processing, with a focus on the data fidelity after traversing the slow light elements. The concept of slow-light-induced data pattern dependence is introduced and is shown to be the main signal degrading effect. We then propose and experimentally demonstrate phase-preserving slow light by delaying 10 Gb/s differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) signals with reduced DPSK pattern dependence. Spectrally efficient slow light using advanced multilevel phase-modulated formats is further described. With this technique, doubled bit-rate signals can be transmitted through a bandwidth-limited slow light element. We finally show several novel slow-light-based signal processing modules. Unique features such as multichannel operation, variable bit-rate capability, and simultaneous multiple functions are highlighted.
This paper presents an analysis of optical buffers based on slow-light optical delay lines. The focus of this paper is on slow-light delay lines in which the group velocity is reduced using linear processes, including electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), population oscillations (POs), and microresonator-based photonic-crystal (PC) filters. We also consider slow-light delay lines in which the group velocity is reduced by an adiabatic process of bandwidth compression. A framework is developed for comparing these techniques and identifying fundamental physical limitations of linear slow-light technologies. It is shown that slow-light delay lines have limited capacity and delay-bandwidth product. In principle, the group velocity in slow-light delay lines can be made to approach zero. But very slow group velocity always comes at the cost of very low bandwidth or throughput. In many applications, miniaturization of the delay line is an important consideration. For all delay-line buffers, the minimum physical size of the buffer for a given number of buffered data bits is ultimately limited by the physical size of each stored bit. We show that in slow-light optical buffers, the minimum achievable size of 1 b is approximately equal to the wavelength of light in the buffer. We also compare the capabilities and limitations of a range of delay-line buffers, investigate the impact of waveguide losses on the buffer capacity, and look at the applicability of slow-light delay lines in a number of applications.