All-optical switches find applications in ultrahigh-speed network–user interfaces and in specialized high-speed processors, such as data regenerators and encryptors and microwave signal generators. We describe a semiconductor optical-amplifier-based single-arm interferometric switch called the ultrafast nonlinear interferometer. We discuss how the gain and the refractive-index nonlinearities in semiconductor optical amplifiers have an impact on the all-optical switch design, and we review experimental results obtained with the ultrafast nonlinear interferometer.

© 1998 Optical Society of America

[Optical Society of America ]

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article level metrics are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

Related Journal Articles

• Design of Efficient All-Optical Code-Division Multiplexing Systems Supporting Multiple-Bit-Rate and Equal-Bit-Rate Transmissions (AO)
• All-optical 100-Gbit/s word packet time-division-multiplexed access node in a looped-back configuration: enabling technologies for sequential add-drop functionality (AO)
• Terabit Optical Local Area Networks for Multiprocessing Systems (AO)
• Comparison of two optical-core networks (JON)
• Optical-signal-quality monitor for bit-error-ratio assessment in transparent DWDM networks based on asynchronously sampled amplitude histograms (JON)

Related Conference Papers

• Ultra-Long-Reach systems, optical transparency, and networks
• WDM optical packet transmission experiment over of 235 km installed fibers
• Protection path routing on WDM networks
• Application of spread spectrum technology at 64Mcps and 2Mbps as OAM signals in transparent optical networks
• The direction of optical technology in the metro area