Extinction ratio regeneration, signal re-amplification (2R), and broadband wavelength switching using a monolithically integrated photocurrent driven wavelength converter.

Detailed wavelength conversion, extinction ratio regeneration, and signal re-amplification experiments are performed using a monolithically integrated, widely tunable photocurrent driven wavelength converter. A -3.5 dB power penalty is observed in bit error rate measurements at 2.5 Gb/s when the extinction ratio of an incoming signal is regenerated from 4 dB to 11 dB, and the input signal wavelength is switched from 1548 nm to an output wavelength range between 1533 nm and 1553 nm. When the input signal extinction ratio is regenerated from 4 to 11 dB, the wavelength converter provides facet to facet conversion gain of 5 dB, 7.7 dB, and 7.6 dB for conversion from 1548 nm to output wavelengths of 1533, 1545 nm, and 1553 nm.