Differential-phase-to-intensity conversion based on injection locking of a semiconductor laser.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Communications
• Semiconductor Laser Technology
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Optical phase-shift detection is crucial for high-speed data transmission.
• Existing methods face limitations in sensitivity and speed.
• Semiconductor lasers offer compact and efficient light sources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel optical phase-shift detection method.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of differential-phase-to-intensity conversion (DPIC) for signal detection.
• To confirm the method's capability in detecting high-bit-rate phase-modulated signals.

Main Methods:

• Numerical prediction of DPIC using injection-locked semiconductor lasers.
• Experimental verification of the DPIC principle.
• Demonstration of OC-48 (2.48832-Gbit/s) phase-modulated signal detection.

Main Results:

• DPIC was numerically predicted and experimentally verified.
• Successful detection of OC-48 phase-modulated signals was achieved using DPIC.
• The proposed method shows potential for high-speed optical communication systems.

Conclusions:

• The novel DPIC method provides an effective means for optical phase-shift detection.
• Injection locking of semiconductor lasers is a viable approach for implementing DPIC.
• DPIC is a promising technique for future high-capacity optical communication systems.