Abstract

Optical sampling techniques^1–3 have recently been proposed for demodulating data streams at bit rates far beyond the speed of conventional photoreceivers. These techniques may be used in ultrafast all-optical packet-switching networks to read the header and to demodulate the packet. A synchronized sampling optical pulse is sent on the desired bit slot in the received packet to test whether a pulse is present or not. The sampler works as an optical and gate that outputs the bit pulse if this is present and outputs no signal otherwise. The pulse out of the and gate is then sent onto a photodiode, and just a single short pulse will have to be detected in a time much longer than the bit time. With a parallel bank of optical samplers, packet detection is converted into a parallel detection of deltalike spikes at a repetition rate suitable for electronic detection.

© 1993 Optical Society of America