Wavelength conversion using interferometric structures containing semiconductor optical amplifiers

Wavelength converters will be important for the development of wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks, as they allow for a flexible and distributed network management [1-2]. Furthermore, converters enable easy and fast dynamic routing in optical switches [3-7] as well as more advanced functionalities, i.e., optical buffering [7,8] and TDM to WDM conversion [9], Therefore, much attention has been devoted to the realisation of all-optical wavelength converters. Considered techniques rely on mechanisms such as cross-gain and crossphase modulation in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) [10-15], optical modulation of lasers [16-20] and four-wave-mixing in fibers and SOAs [21-22].