Abstract

In the realization of very-high-speed optical communication systems, all-optical clock extraction is one of the most basic functions in regenerators and multiplexers. A remarkable experiment of 40-GHz all-optical clock recovery, using a fiber nonlinear modulator (NOM) and a fiber-ring cavity, has been reported by Ellis et al.¹ However, such fiber devices increase the circuit delay because optical gain and interaction between optical pulses are usually lower in glass fibers than in semiconductor devices. The use of a semiconductor laser will be key to realizing small-delay optical circuits. Takayama and Habara² have reported on a 3.2-Gbit/s optical clock-recovery circuit using an optically active cavity that operates alternately on the TE and the TM waves.

© 1994 Optical Society of America