Semiconductor-based Ultra-Fast All-Optical Signal Processing Devices –a key technology for the next generation of ultrahigh bandwidth optical communication systems! The introduction of ultra-fast communication systems based on all-optical signal processing is considered to be one of the most promising ways to handle the rapidly increasing global communication traffic. Such systems will enable real time super-high definition moving pictures such as high reality TV-conference, remote diagnosis and surgery, cinema entertainment and many other applications with small power consumption. The key issue to realize such systems is to develop ultra-fast optical devices such as light sources, all-optical gates and wavelength converters. Ultra-Fast All-Optical Signal Processing Devices discusses the state of the art development of semiconductor-based ultrafast all-optical devices, and their various signal processing applications for bit-rates 100Gb/s to 1Tb/s. Ultra-Fast All-Optical Signal Processing Devices: Provides a thorough and in-depth treatment of the most recent achievements in ultrafast all-optical devices Discusses future networks with applications such as HD-TV and super-high definition moving screens as a motivating background for devices research Covers mode-locked semiconductor lasers, electro-absorption modulator based 160Gb/s signal sources, SOA based symmetric Mach-Zehnder type all-optical gates, intersubband transition gate device, and more Explains the technical issues behind turning the ultra-fast optical devices into practical working tools Examples of above 160Gb/s transmission experiments Discusses future prospects of the ultra-fast signal processing devices This invaluable reference will provide device researchers and engineers in industry, researchers at universities (including graduate students, and post doctorial researchers and professors) and research institutes with a thorough understanding of ultrahigh bandwidth optical communication systems. Device and communication market watchers will also find this book useful.

New techniques for temporal signal processing in the optical domain are becoming increasingly important for practically all the current scientific and engineering applications. Processing the information in the all-optical domain offers the possibility to overcome the severe speed limitations of present electronic circuits. This book details the proposal, design and demonstration of fundamental all-optical signal processing blocks using fiber-based technologies. Some important applications of these basic blocks in optical signal processing, computing and characterization is also presented. Following the demonstration of ultra-large bandwidth photonic devices for processing of ultrafast optical signals, optical signal characterization techniques capable of accurately characterizing these devices and also the ultrafast optical signals interacting with these photonic devices are proposed, studied and demonstrated. This book should help shed some light on this new field, and should be especially useful to professionals in optical signal processing, or anyone else who may be considering utilizing optical technologies in sister fields of engineering and science.

This book provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the art of optical signal processing technologies and devices. It presents breakthrough solutions for enabling a pervasive use of optics in data communication and signal storage applications. It presents presents optical signal processing as solution to overcome the capacity crunch in communication networks. The book content ranges from the development of innovative materials and devices, such as graphene and slow light structures, to the use of nonlinear optics for secure quantum information processing and overcoming the classical Shannon limit on channel capacity and microwave signal processing. Although it holds the promise for a substantial speed improvement, today’s communication infrastructure optics remains largely confined to the signal transport layer, as it lags behind electronics as far as signal processing is concerned. This situation will change in the near future as the tremendous growth of data traffic requires energy efficient and fully transparent all-optical networks. The book is written by leaders in the field.

This volume contains papers presented at the Eleventh International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, from July 12 to 17, 1998. The biannual Ultrafast Phenomena Conferences provide a forum for dis cussion of the latest advances in ultrafast optics and their applications in science and engineering. The Garmisch conference brought together a multidisciplinary group of 440 participants from 27 countries, including 127 students. The enthu siasm of this large number of Participants, the high quality of the papers they presented and the magnificent conference site resulted in a successful and pleasant conference. Progress was reported in the technology of generating ultrashort pulses, in cluding new techniques for improving laser-pulse duration, tunability over broad wavelength ranges, output power and peak intensity. Ultrafast spectroscopy con tinues to provide new insight into fundamental processes in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. In addition to analyzing ultrafast phenomena, control of ultrafast dynamics now represents an important topic. Ultrafast concepts and tech niques are being applied in imaging and microscopy, high speed optoelectronics, mat~rial diagnostics and processing, reflecting the maturing of the field. Acknowledgements. Many people contributed to the success of the conference.

This thesis examines the unique properties of gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers for optical communication networks, introducing readers to their fundamentals, basic parameters and manifold applications. The static and dynamic properties of these amplifiers are discussed extensively in comparison to conventional, non quantum-dot based amplifiers, and their unique advantages are elaborated on, such as the fast carrier dynamics and the decoupling of gain and phase dynamics. In addition to diverse amplification scenarios involving single and multiple high symbol rate amplitude and phase-coded data signals, wide-range wavelength conversion as a key functionality for optical signal processing is investigated and discussed in detail. Furthermore, two novel device concepts are developed and demonstrated that have the potential to significantly simplify network architectures, reducing the investment and maintenance costs as well as the energy consumption of future networks.

Wireless, optical, and electronic networks continue to converge, prompting heavy research into the interface between microwave electronics, ultrafast optics, and photonic technologies. New developments arrive nearly as fast as the photons under investigation, and their commercial impact depends on the ability to stay abreast of new findings, techni