Abstract

At any given node within a wide-area WDM network, data from N independent channels can be time-division-multiplexed (TDM) onto a single high-speed signal and then can be transmitted across the large network; such a scenario is advantageous if there are limited available wavelengths or bandwidth. However, since the wavelength determines the final destination in a WDM network, each channel's data within this transmitted TDM packet may need to be encoded onto several different wavelengths in order to be routed to different destinations. Therefore, TDM-to-WDM conversion is highly desirable because it can increase the throughput and utility of a WDM network. Recent work¹ has shown a TDM-to-WDM conversion scheme in which a 750-Mbit/s data stream was converted into two 375-Mbit/s WDM channels by using four-wave mixing in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA).

© 1995 Optical Society of America