FWM-based wavelength conversion of 40 Gbaud PSK signals in a silicon germanium waveguide

We demonstrate four wave mixing (FWM) based wavelength conversion of 40 Gbaud differential phase shift keyed (DPSK) and quadrature phase shift keyed (QPSK) signals in a 2.5 cm long silicon germanium waveguide. For a 290 mW pump power, bit error ratio (BER) measurements show approximately a 2-dB power penalty in both cases of DPSK (measured at a BER of 10-9) and QPSK (at a BER of 10-3) signals that we examined

Augmenting forearm crutches with wireless sensors for lower limb rehabilitation

Forearm crutches are frequently used in the rehabilitation of an injury to the lower limb. The recovery rate is improved if the patient correctly applies a certain fraction of their body weight (specified by a clinician) through the axis of the crutch, referred to as partial weight bearing (PWB). Incorrect weight bearing has been shown to result in an extended recovery period or even cause further damage to the limb. There is currently no minimally invasive tool for long-term monitoring of a patient's PWB in a home environment. This paper describes the research and development of an instrumented forearm crutch that has been developed to wirelessly and autonomously monitor a patient's weight bearing over the full period of their recovery, including its potential use in a home environment. A pair of standard forearm crutches are augmented with low-cost off-the-shelf wireless sensor nodes and electronic components to provide indicative measurements of the applied weight, crutch tilt and hand position on the grip. Data are wirelessly transmitted between crutches and to a remote computer (where they are processed and visualized in LabVIEW), and the patient receives biofeedback by means of an audible signal when they put too much or too little weight through the crutch. The initial results obtained highlight the capability of the instrumented crutch to support physiotherapists and patients in monitoring usage

Broadband telecom to mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a dispersion-engineered silicon germanium waveguide

We demonstrate broadband supercontinuum generation (SCG) in a dispersion-engineered silicon-germanium waveguide. The 3 cm long waveguide is pumped by femtosecond pulses at 2.4 μm, and the generated supercontinuum extends from 1.45 to 2.79 μm (at the −30  dB point). The broadening is mainly driven by the generation of a dispersive wave in the 1.5–1.8 μm region and soliton fission. The SCG was modeled numerically, and excellent agreement with the experimental results was obtained

All-optical signal processing in novel highly nonlinear fibres and waveguides

All-optical signal processing has recently become an attractive research field, a result of nonlinear optical systems making major advances in terms of cost, compactness, energy consumption, integrability and reliability. This technology has impacted several areas ranging from telecommunications and biomolecular sensing to military and quantum communications, and spanning a vast range of frequencies from the near to mid-infrared. This PhD research project was aimed at investigating the features and feasibility of two state-of-the-art all-optical signal processing technologies: highly nonlinear soft glass fibres and silicon-based waveguides.Of the various soft glasses available, lead silicate and tellurite are considered within this thesis. The optical properties of a highly nonlinear lead silicate W-type fibre are studied and the design process of such fibres is explained in detail. A number of telecommunications-based all-optical processing applications are also demonstrated in this fibre technology. Phase sensitive amplification is demonstrated in the W-type fibre and the process is used to regenerate the phase of 40 Gbit/s differential phase shift keying (DPSK) signals.The optical characteristics of a highly nonlinear tellurite fibre are also studied both at 1.55 and 2 µm. Efficient four wave mixing (FMW)-based wavelength conversion of 1.55 µm signals is demonstrated in the fibre and a detailed numerical study into the potential of the fibre in realizing phase-matched mid-infrared (MIR) to near-infrared (NIR) spectral translation is conducted.The second all-optical signal processing platform investigated in this project is silicon germanium (SiGe) waveguides. A detailed account of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of this newly emerging silicon-based technology is reported for the first time and the potential of this platform is highlighted by demonstrating wavelength conversion of 40 Gbaud DPSK and QPSK signals. Broadband spectral translation is also demonstrated in the SiGe waveguides with record FWM bandwidths

Nonlinear Silicon Photonic Signal Processing Devices for Future Optical Networks

In this paper, we present a review on silicon-based nonlinear devices for all optical nonlinear processing of complex telecommunication signals. We discuss some recent developments achieved by our research group, through extensive collaborations with academic partners across Europe, on optical signal processing using silicon-germanium and amorphous silicon based waveguides as well as novel materials such as silicon rich silicon nitride and tantalum pentoxide. We review the performance of four wave mixing wavelength conversion applied on complex signals such as Differential Phase Shift Keying (DPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and 64-QAM that dramatically enhance the telecom signal spectral efficiency, paving the way to next generation terabit all-optical networks

Accurate dipole radiation model for waveguide grating couplers

An analytical theoretical model for the waveguide grating coupler is developed and applicable to practical deep gratings. The grating-assisted input coupling efficiency is calculated by considering the reciprocal out-coupling problem. The deep grating structure is modelled as an optical layer filled with polarization dipole sources, and the scattered fields are then calculated using the associated Green’s functions and taking into account the multiple reflections and interference from the adjacent layers. The joint loss between the grating region and the waveguide is also considered. Comparison with numerical simulations shows very good agreement and validates the accuracy of the analytical model. The model explicitly describes the importance of multilayer interference of the scattered fields and guided-mode joint loss on the total grating-assisted coupling efficiency and can be used for practical waveguide grating coupler design with negligible computation workload