Abstract

The concept of optical time-division multiplexing/demultiplexing (OTDM) has been recently emloyed in high-bit-rate data transmission¹ as well as in optical switching, processing,² and network applications.³ The use of OTDM in high-bit-rate systems has led to the demonstration of data transmission at a bit rate as high as 16 Gbit/s—the highest transmission bit rate reported to date for any time multiplexed system, we believe. The OTDM system used four mode-locked semiconductor lasers each operating at 4 Gbit/s. The transmission distance of 8 km was limited by dispersion caused by the relatively wide spectrum of the mode-locked lasers. Here we report a new two-channel 8-Gbit/s OTDM system which uses only a single laser.

© 1989 Optical Society of America