Wideband Simultaneous Wavelength Conversion of Multiple WDM Channels Using Silicon-Rich Nitride Waveguide

Abstract

The triple-band (S+C+L) transmission system using only C-band transceivers and all-optical wavelength conversions (AOWCs) without S- and L-band optical transceivers have been proposed. Although an AOWC employs highly nonlinear fibers, it is not applicable to photonic integrated circuits (PICs). For a device with successful wavelength conversion, a silicon-rich nitride (SRN) waveguide provides superior performance, as it is applicable to PIC and facilitates a higher Kerr nonlinearity than conventional stoichiometric silicon nitride waveguides. Thus, in this study, we propose an all-optical simultaneous wavelength conversion method that can be cost-effectively fabricated on a PIC based on four-wave mixing in SRN waveguides. Following an explanation regarding the design of an SRN waveguide for wideband AOWC, the successful operation of a double-stage AOWC of 64-channel 64-Gb/s QPSK signals between the C+L bands and the S-band is demonstrated, which is useful for wideband transmission systems.

Keywords

• All-optical signal processing
• optical fiber communication
• silicon photonics
• wavelength conversion
• wavelength-division multiplexing