Experimental investigation of a novel tunable all-optical wavelength converter with a double-ring cavity

Abstract

Exploiting the cascaded sum- and difference-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide, a novel scheme of tunable all-optical wavelength conversion is proposed and experimentally demonstrated by use of a PPLN-based double-ring cavity configuration. Wavelength conversion of picosecond pulses from the signal wavelength to the idler wavelength is realized. A pulsed signal source with a repetition rate of 40 GHz and a pulse width of 1.57ps is adopted. The pump and control waves are generated from the double-ring fiber laser. Therefore, no external continuous-wave (CW) light is required.