Broadband wavelength conversion at 40 Gb/s using long serpentine As(2)S(3) planar waveguides

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Communications
• Materials Science
• Nonlinear Optics

Background:

• Broadband wavelength conversion is crucial for high-speed optical communication systems.
• Chalcogenide glass waveguides offer significant nonlinear optical properties.
• Previous limitations included high propagation loss and limited data rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate broadband wavelength conversion of a 40 Gb/s return-to-zero signal.
• To utilize a novel chalcogenide glass waveguide photonic chip.
• To improve data rates and reduce operating power compared to prior research.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of serpentine As(2)S(3) (arsenic trisulfide) waveguides.
• Characterization of nonlinear coefficient and propagation loss.
• Wavelength conversion experiments using cross-phase modulation.
• System measurements to evaluate power penalty and bit-error rate.

Main Results:

• Achieved broadband wavelength conversion over a 40 nm spectral span.
• Demonstrated a nonlinear coefficient of approximately 1700 W(-1)km(-1).
• Observed a 5x reduction in propagation loss over a 22.5 cm waveguide.
• Enabled a x4 increase in data rate compared to previous results.
• Reported a power penalty of just over 1 dB at a bit-error rate of 10(-9).

Conclusions:

• The developed As(2)S(3) photonic chip facilitates efficient broadband wavelength conversion.
• The low loss and high nonlinearity of the waveguides significantly enhance data rates.
• The compact planar design minimizes group velocity dispersion, improving system performance.