Abstract

Using two logic gates configured as low-birefringent nonlinear optical loop mirrors (low-bi NOLMs),¹ we experimentally demonstrate cascaded operation, which is a necessary step toward serial optical processing and header processing applications, To our knowledge, this is the first cascaded gate experiment using NOLMs. The cascaded NOLMs show a switching contrast of 10.7:1 and a tuning window of 2.7 pulse widths with a switching energy of 17 pJ. We pump the gates with 445-fs pulses at 1.55 µm from an erbium- doped fiber laser (EDFL). To achieve cascadable logic gates, we use orthogonally polarized pulses at the same wavelength as opposed to two different wavelengths,² which would require wavelength converters for cascadability.

© 1996 Optical Society of America