On-Chip Programmable Nonlinear Optical Signal Processor and Its Applications

We introduce an integrated device based on microring resonator (MRR) assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) preceded by a tunable MZ coupler for nonlinear optical signal processing. The novel structure of this device provides both high programmability and switching contrast. These desirable features suggest its potential use as a multi-purpose optical processor providing different high-performance functionalities. We experimentally demonstrate two functionalities using the same device fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. One functionality is an all-optical thresholder enabling 40× signal contrast improvement, and the other functionality is clock-less pulse carving technique that converts long-pulse signals to short-pulse signals. With these functionalities, we discuss system-level applications of our device in optical interconnects and photonic neural networks.