Four-channel all-optical wavelength conversion unit based on nonlinear effect of three-section monolithically integrated semiconductor lasers

A simple and highly efficient four-channel all-optical wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing effect of the directly modulated three-section monolithically integrated semiconductor laser is proposed and experimen-tally investigated. For this wavelength conversion unit, the spacing of the wavelength can be adjusted by tuning the bias current of the lasers and setting it to be 0.4 nm (50 GHz) as a demonstration is this work. A 50 Mbps 16-QAM signal centers at 4-8 GHz is experimentally switched to a targeted path. Up-or downconversion depends on a wavelength-selective switch, and the conversion efficiency can reach up to -2 to 0 dB. This work provides a new technology for photonic radio-frequency switching matrix and contributes to the integrated implementation of satellite transponders. (c) 2023 Optica Publishing Group

Automated summary

This paper proposes and experimentally investigates a simple and highly efficient four-channel all-optical wavelength conversion method based on the four-wave mixing effect of the directly modulated three-section monolithically integrated semiconductor laser. The wavelength spacing can be adjusted by tuning the bias current of the lasers to be 0.4 nm (50 GHz). Experimental results demonstrate that a 50 Mbps 16-QAM signal centered at 4-8 GHz can be successfully switched to a targeted path, with up or down conversion depending on a wavelength-selective switch and a conversion efficiency of up to -2 to 0 dB. This work provides a new technology for photonic radio-frequency switching matrix and contributes to the integrated implementation of satellite transponders.