All-optical signal processing for terabit/second optical transmission

Recent progress toward multiterabit/s optical transmission systems employing all-optical ultrafast signal-processing technologies is described. Focus is placed on optical time-division multiplexing (OTDM), as well as optical time- and wavelength-division multiplexing (OTDM/WDM) technologies leading to multiterabit/s transmission capacity. The key technologies, including ultrafast pulse generation, all-optical multiplexing/demultiplexing, and optical timing extraction techniques, are also described, together with state-of-the-art performances and future prospects.