Open AccessAll-optical memory operation of 980-nm polarization bistable VCSEL for 20-Gb/s PRBS RZ and 40-Gb/s NRZ data signals
Author(s) -
Jun Shen,
T. Katayama,
Hitoshi Kawaguchi
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.18.012362
Subject(s) - bistability , optics , vertical cavity surface emitting laser , optical bistability , 3d optical data storage , polarization (electrochemistry) , pseudorandom binary sequence , optical switch , physics , optoelectronics , pseudorandom number generator , materials science , laser , computer science , nonlinear optics , binary number , chemistry , arithmetic , mathematics , algorithm
The fastest known operation of all-optical flip-flop memory was experimentally demonstrated using a 980-nm polarization bistable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). Operating conditions of the input signal power and the frequency detuning to achieve the fast optical memory operation were characterized experimentally. At the optimum condition, 1-bit data signals were arbitrarily sampled and memorized from a 2(6)-1 pseudorandom bit sequence return-to-zero signal at 20 Gb/s by using AND gate and memory functionalities obtained from the polarization bistability. In addition, 1-bit memory operation was achieved for a 6-bit non-return-to-zero signal at 40 Gb/s. Both memory operations required 250-microW data signal power and had optical gain. The high potential of all-optical flip-flop memories based on polarization bistable VCSELs for use in ultrafast all-optical future networks was demonstrated.