All-optical signal processing in nonlinear fibres and waveguides

Abstract

All-optical processing techniques based on FWM could offer an alternative to digital techniques for information processing, providing ultra-fast processing speeds, enormous bandwidth, and parallel processing ability. These characteristics make them highly promising for future high-capacity optical fibre communication networks and gas sensing applications. All-optical wavelength conversion could possibly play a crucial role in meeting these demands by effectively avoiding wavelength contention and enabling the exploitation of novel bands in WDM transmission system, as well as facilitating gas sensing in the visible or MIR region.

The objective of this thesis is to study and optimize FWM processes for wavelength conversion applications, with a primary focus on highly nonlinear silica fibres, silicon, and SRN waveguides. It investigates polarization effects in fibre-based FWM systems through detailed numerical and experimental studies on birefringence effects in orthogonal-pump FWM system. The use of OTDR to characterize a fibre-based orthogonal-pump FWM system in the saturation regime is examined, illustrating the role of spatially resolved PDG in this system.

The thesis further reports on the experimental and numerical investigation of PN-junction equipped nonlinear silicon waveguide, aiming to optimize its operation for wavelength conversion in the C-band. It then presents the optimized design for achieving broadband and high-gain wavelength conversion using fundamental modes in SRN strip waveguides, through pumping at 1550 nm. Experimental and numerical investigations into the broadband operation of the inter-modal Bragg scattering FWM process are conducted, along with a proposed design using the inter-modal phase conjugation FWM process in SRN strip multimode waveguides. These studies demonstrate the capability of SRN material to generate new frequencies far from the C-band. Finally, a preliminary numerical study of SRN plasmonic slot waveguides is included.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Hao Liu: orcid.org/0000-0003-2988-9141

ORCID for Periklis Petropoulos: orcid.org/0000-0002-1576-8034

ORCID for Kyle Bottrill: orcid.org/0000-0002-9872-110X

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