Dynamical characterization of monolithic MOPAs emitting at 1.5 μ�m

Eye-safety requirements in important applications like LIDAR or Free Space Optical Communications make specifically interesting the generation of high power, short optical pulses at 1.5 um. Moreover, high repetition rates allow reducing the error and/or the measurement time in applications involving pulsed time-of-flight measurements, as range finders, 3D scanners or traffic velocity controls. The Master Oscillator Power Amplifier (MOPA) architecture is an interesting source for these applications since large changes in output power can be obtained at GHz rates with a relatively small modulation of the current in the Master Oscillator (MO). We have recently demonstrated short optical pulses (100 ps) with high peak power (2.7 W) by gain switching the MO of a monolithically integrated 1.5 um MOPA. Although in an integrated MOPA the laser and the amplifier are ideally independent devices, compound cavity effects due to the residual reflectance at the different interfaces are often observed, leading to modal instabilities such as self-pulsations.

Wavelets in High-Capacity DWDM Systems and Modal-Division Multiplexed Transmissions

Optical communications receivers using wavelet signals processing is proposed in this paper for dense wavelength-division multiplexed (DWDM) systems and modal-division multiplexed (MDM) transmissions. The optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) required to demodulate polarization-division multiplexed quadrature phase shift keying (PDM-QPSK) modulation format is alleviated with the wavelet denoising process. This procedure improves the bit error rate (BER) performance and increasing the transmission distance in DWDM systems. Additionally, the wavelet-based design relies on signal decomposition using time-limited basis functions allowing to reduce the computational cost in Digital-Signal-Processing (DSP) module. Attending to MDM systems, a new scheme of encoding data bits based on wavelets is presented to minimize the mode coupling in few-mode (FWF) and multimode fibers (MMF). The Shifted Prolate Wave Spheroidal (SPWS) functions are proposed to reduce the modal interference.

Tendencias actuales y perspectivas de las comunicaciones ópticas

A short review to the main problems today in optical Communications is given. Several topics, namely, coherent optical systems, high-speed transmission systems, optical switching, fluoride glasses and wavelength division multiplexing are studied. Their status and future is reported. Some considerations coming out from the next ECOC'88, give way to the author impresions about the present and future of Optical Communications.

Propiedades Ópticas de los Materiales Activos en Diodos Láser con Confinamiento Cuántico

En esta tesis se recoge el trabajo experimental realizado para la caracterización de las propiedades ópticas en diodos láser construidos con estructuras basadas en pozos cuánticos (QW) y puntos cuánticos (QD). Las propiedades que se han estudiado en estos dispositivos son los espectros de ganancia, ganancia diferencial, índice diferencial y factor de ensanchamiento de línea (LEF). La comprensión de estas propiedades es de especial importancia para el diseño de nuevos diodos láser destinados a ser utilizados en aplicaciones exigentes como son las comunicaciones ópticas o aplicaciones médicas. El estudio se ha llevado a cabo en muestras de diodos láser suministrados por diferentes fabricantes: Ferdinand Braun Institut für Hóchstfrequenztechnik, Thales Research and Technology y la Universidad de Würzburg. Debido a esto las muestras de los láseres se han suministrado en diferentes configuraciones, utilizándose tanto dispositivos con cavidades de área ancha como de tipo caballete (“ridge”). En los trabajos se ha realizado el diseño y la construcción de los montajes experimentales y la implementación de los métodos analíticos necesarios para el estudio de las diferentes muestras. En los montajes experimentales se han implementado procesos para el filtrado espacial de los modos laterales de la cavidad presentes en los láseres de área ancha. Los métodos analíticos implementados se han utilizado para reducir los errores existentes en los sistemas de medida, mejorar su precisión y para separar la variación de índice en debida al calentamiento y la variación de corriente cuando los láseres operan en continua. El estudio sistemático de las propiedades de ópticas de los diodos láser basados en QW y QD ha permitido concluir que propiedades como el factor de ensanchamiento de línea no tienen por qué ser necesariamente inferiores en estos últimos, ya que dependen de las condiciones de inyección. En los láseres de QW se ha observado experimentalmente una reducción del factor de ensanchamiento de línea al alcanzarse la segunda transición, debido al aumento de la ganancia diferencial. ABSTRACT This thesis includes the experimental work for the characterization of optical properties of quantum well (QW) and quantum dot (QD) laser diodes. The properties that have been studied in these devices are the gain, differential gain, differential index and the linewith enhancement factor (LEF). The understating of these properties is of special importance for the design of new laser diodes to be used in exigent applications such as optical communications or medical applications. The study has been carried out using laser samples supplied by different manufacturers: Ferdinand Braun Institut fu¨r H¨ochstfrequenztechnik, Thales Research and Technology and the University of Wu¨rzburg. Because of this the laser samples were supplied in various configurations, using both broad area and ridge devices. In the work it has been done the design and construction of the experimental setups and implementation of analytical methods required for the study of the different devices. In the experimental set-ups it has been implemented a spatial filtering process to remove the lateral modes present in broad area lasers. The implemented analytical methods has been used to reduce the experimental errors in the measurement systems, improve the accuracy and separate the index variation caused by heating and current variation when the lasers operated on continuous wave. The systematic study of the optical properties of the QW and QD laser diodes has allowed concluding that properties such the linewith enhancement factor does not have to be necessary to be lower in the QD devices, since it is dependent on the injections conditions. In this work it has been experimentally observed a reduction of the linewith enhancement factor where the second transition has been reached mainly due to in the increased of the differential gain which is observed in this situation.

Presentación III Jornadas de Comunicación Opticas

Martín Pereda presenta las III Jornadas de Comunicaciones Ópticas, haciendo referencia a la organización en 1986 en España de la European conference on Optical Communications y la repercusión que tuvo dicha conferencia en el desarrollo de las comunicaciones ópticas en nuestro país.

Applications of ultralong Raman fibre lasers in photonics

This thesis presents a numerical and experimental investigation on applications of ultralong Raman fibre lasers in optical communications, supercontinuum generation and soliton transmission. The research work is divided in four main sections. The first involves the numerical investigation of URFL intra-cavity power and the relative intensity noise transfer evolution along the transmission span. The performance of the URFL is compared with amplification systems of similar complexity. In the case of intracavity power evolution, URFL is compared with a first order Raman amplification system. For the RIN transfer investigation, URFL is compared with a bi-directional dual wavelength pumping system. The RIN transfer function is investigated for several cavity design parameters such as span length, pump distribution and FBG reflectivity. The following section deals with experimental results of URFL cavities. The enhancement of the available spectral bandwidth in the C-band and its spectral flatness are investigated for single and multi-FBGs cavity system. Further work regarding extended URFL cavity in combination with Rayleigh scattering as random distributed feedback produced a laser cavity with dual wavelength outputs independent to each other. The last two sections relate to URFL application in supercontinuum (SC) generation and soliton transmission. URFL becomes an enhancement structure for SC generation. This thesis shows successful experimental results of SC generation using conventional single mode optical fibre and pumped with a continuous wave source. The last section is dedicated to soliton transmission and the study of soliton propagation dynamics. The experimental results of exact soliton transmission over multiple soliton periods using conventional single mode fibre are shown in this thesis. The effect of the input signal, pump distribution, span length and FBGs reflectivity on the soliton propagation dynamics is investigated experimentally and numerically.

Soliton transmission at 10 Gbit/s over 2022 km of standard fibre with dispersion compensation

We present experimental results of 10 Gbit/s, 20 ps soliton data transmission over standard fibre, dispersion compensated to 0.5 ps/nm/km. Acceptable Q values were measured to a distance of 2022 km.

Wideband tuneable fibre Bragg grating filters

A fibre Bragg grating filter device, tunable over 45 nm, is reported. The device has a wavelength setting time below 1.5 ms and a maximum tuning speed of 21 nm/ns.

Modulational instabilities in fibres with periodic dispersion

We analytically and numerically analyze the occurrence of modulational instability in fibers with periodic changes in the group-velocity dispersion. For small variations, a set of resonances occurs in the gain spectrum. However, large dispersion variations eliminate these resonances and restrict the bandwidth of the fundamental gain spectrum. This research has been motivated by the adoption of dispersion management techniques in long-haul optical communications.

Solitons: permanent waves

Communications engineers are learning to create an electromagnet wave at will, to transmit information. This wave, the optical soliton, is the subject of astounding recent developments in nonlinear optics and lasers. The author describes the principles behind the use of solitons in optical communications and shows that in the context of such communications the most important property of solitons is that they are extremely stable. Not only do they not disperse, but an encounter with a perturbation (e.g. a joint in optical fibre) will usually leave the soliton unaltered.

Design and fabrication of fibre Bragg gratings with V-shaped dispersion profile for multi-channel signal processing

We have designed and fabricated a new type of fibre Bragg grating (FBG) with a V-shaped dispersion profile for multi-channel dispersion compensation in communication links.

Signal power excursion and pump efficiency in quasi-lossless ultra-long Raman laser links

Performance optimisation of ultra-long Raman laser links is studied theoretically and experimentally. We observe that it is possible to reduce signal power excursion by adjusting FBG reflectivity without compromising pump efficiency.

Long distance dispersion managed soliton transmission experiments

This thesis presents results of transmission experiments using optical solitons in a dispersion managed optical fibre recirculating loop. The basic concepts of pulse propagation in optical fibre are introduced before optical solitons and their use in optically amplified fibre systems are discussed. The role of dispersion management in such systems is then considered. The design, operation and limitations of the recirculating loop and soliton sources which were used and the experimental techniques are described before the experimental work is presented. The experimental work covers a number of areas all of which used dispersion management of the transmission line. A novel ultra-long distance propagation scheme which achieved low timing jitter by suppression of the amplifier noise and by working close to the zero dispersion wavelength has been discovered. The use of fibre Bragg gratings as wavelength filters to suppress noise and reduce timing jitter has been investigated. The performance of the fibre grating cornpared favourably with that of a bulk device and was in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The upgrade of existing standard fibre systems to higher bit rates is currently an important issue. The possibility of using solitons with dispersion compensation to allow an increase in data rate of existing standard fibre systems to 10Gbit/s over 5000km has been demonstrated. The applicability of this technique to longer distances, higher bit rates or longer amplifier spans is also investigated by optimisation of the dispersion management scheme. The use of fibre Bragg gratings as the dispersion compensating elements in such standard fibre transmission experiments has been examined and the main problem that these devices currently have, high polarisation mode dispersion, is discussed. The likely future direction of optical communications and what part solitons and dispersion management will play in this development is discussed in the thesis conclusions

The use of loop mirrors and chirped fibre Bragg gratings in actively-modelocked fibre lasers

The development of an all-optical communications infrastructure requires appropriate optical switching devices and supporting hardware. This thesis presents several novel fibre lasers which are useful pulse sources for high speed optical data processing and communications. They share several attributes in common: flexibility, stability and low-jitter output. They all produce short (picosecond) and are suitable as sources for soliton systems. The lasers are all-fibre systems using erbium-doped fibre for gain, and are actively-modelocked using a dual-wavelength nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) as a modulator. Control over the operating wavelength and intra-cavity dispersion is obtained using a chirped in-fibre Bragg grating.Systems operating both at 76MHz and gigahertz frequencies are presented, the latter using a semiconductor laser amplifier to enhance nonlinear action in the loop mirror. A novel dual-wavelength system in which two linear cavities share a common modulator is presented with results which show that the jitter between the two wavelengths is low enough for use in switching experiments with data rates of up to 130Gbit/s.