Abstract

Semiconductor ring laser (SRL) has been shown to possess robust bistability between its two possible directions, i.e., clockwise (cw) and counter-clockwise (ccw) lasing, routinely demonstrating directional extinction ratio (DER) of > 25 dB. In this paper, experimental schemes and results using the SRL as a universal photonic digital element to form all-optical logic, memory, and signal processing circuits are summarized. It is demonstrated that the SRL can be used for both combinatorial and sequential logic functions, and as all-optical regeneration devices. Furthermore, it is shown that a SRL logic circuit can be all-optically reconfigured to perform different all-optical logic functions.

© 2010 Chinese Optics Letters

Square-wave oscillations in a semiconductor ring laser subject to counter-directional delayed mutual feedback

Song-Sui Li, Xiao-Zhou Li, Jun-Ping Zhuang, Gabor Mezosi, Marc Sorel, and Sze-Chun Chan
Opt. Lett. 41(4) 812-815 (2016)

Bistability and all-optical switching in semiconductor ring lasers

Toni Pérez, Alessandro Scirè, Guy Van der Sande, Pere Colet, and Claudio R. Mirasso
Opt. Express 15(20) 12941-12948 (2007)

Random optical pulse generation with bistable semiconductor ring lasers

Satoshi Sunada, Takahisa Harayama, Kenichi Arai, Kazuyuki Yoshimura, Ken Tsuzuki, Atsushi Uchida, and Peter Davis
Opt. Express 19(8) 7439-7450 (2011)

Optical injection in semiconductor ring lasers: backfire dynamics

Lendert Gelens, Stefano Beri, Guy Van der Sande, Jan Danckaert, Nicola Calabretta, Harm J. S. Dorren, Richard Nötzel, Erwin A. J. M. Bente, and Meint K. Smit
Opt. Express 16(15) 10968-10974 (2008)

Square-wave oscillations in semiconductor ring lasers with delayed optical feedback

Lilia Mashal, Guy Van der Sande, Lendert Gelens, Jan Danckaert, and Guy Verschaffelt
Opt. Express 20(20) 22503-22516 (2012)