All-Optical Format Conversion From NRZ to BPSK Using a Single Saturated SOA

All-optical format conversion from nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) to binary phase-shift keying format is experimentally demonstrated at 8 Gb/s using a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The conversion is based on the gain and phase modulations of the SOA on an input NRZ signal of finite extinction ratio