All-optical signal regeneration at 40 Gbit/s using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on semiconductor optical amplifiers

Summary form only given. All-optical signal regeneration and processing are interesting for high bit-rate transmission systems. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is a promising device for functionalities like all-optical add/drop and signal regeneration. Wavelength conversion up-to 20 Gbit/s, demultiplexing of a 8/spl times/10 Gbit/s signal and all-optical signal regeneration at 40 Gbit/s have been experimentally demonstrated, showing the high speed processing potential. We have theoretically investigated all-optical signal regeneration in a SOA based MZI and identified some of the main limiting factors and optimization issues.