All-optical signal regeneration using a bistable semiconductor ring laser

All-optical signal regeneration (2R) and re-timing (3R) schemes are useful to overcome the signal distortion and degradation in high speed all-optical communication systems. Semiconductor ring laser (SRL) is a device with a strong bistability between its two rotational directions [1]. It is therefore a potential candidate for alloptical switching [2], signal regeneration, and optical memory [3]. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate all-optical signal 2R and 3R using the SRL for the first time. In this initial experiment, we focused on demonstrating the principle and characterizing the performance potential of the SRL for the 2R/3R operation. In the 2R operation, with input extinction ratio (ER) as low as ∼ 1 dB, the ER of the optical data pulse has been improved significantly. For the 3R operation, the significant timing jitter in the input pulse is virtually eliminated completely.