All-optical wavelength switching from 1.3 mu m to a 1.55 mu m WDM wavelength routed network: system results

A wavelength converter based on a semiconductor nonlinear optical amplifier (NLOA) has been used to switch 155 MB/s data from 1.3 mu m into a 1.55 mu m WDM wavelength routed network. The data were converted to 1.56 mu m, one of the WDM system wavelengths, and transmitted over 63 km of step-index fiber. Bit-error-ratio measurements on the full system showed a 2 dB 10/sup -9/ receiver sensitivity penalty, demonstrating the usefulness of NLOAs as wavelength switches for future multiwavelength optical networks.<
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