Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/J12413/02
Title:	OPTICAL NETWORKS USING WAVELENGTH CONVERSION
Principal Investigator:	White, Professor I
Other Investigators:	Penty, Professor R
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	BT
Department:	Physics
Organisation:	University of Bristol
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 January 1996	Ends:	31 March 1997	Value (£):	56,277
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Optical Communications
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Communications
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
This collaborative grant, initiated by the Universities of Essex and Bath, and BT Laboratories aims to investigate theoretically and experimentally the impact of realisable wavelength converter devices on practical multi-wavelength networks. The project is considering both the practical implementation of WDM long haul and local area networks with restricted numbers of wavelength channels operating at high speed. The work aims to investigate the potential for wavelength conversion to alleviate wavelength contention at network nodes, to provide redundancy and to allow novel functions. Progress:Research at Bath University has concentrated on two forms of wavelength conversion component. The first, using an integrated laser, optical amplifier and photodiode has been shown to provide robust wavelength conversion over a wide range of wavelengths at modulation rates of up to 5 Gb/s. A novel version of the component using an optical modulator has been demonstrated at 2 Gb/s, allowing low chirp operation. This has been passed for network testing at Essex University. Additional research has led to the development of a theoretical model able to simulate high speed wavelength conversion in semiconductor laser amplifiers. These devices have been shown to operate at modulation rates of up to 20 Gb/s in gain saturation mode. The results from the numerical simulation agree well with experimental measurements carried out by BT Laboratories and have accounted for the observed conversion risetimes as short as 12 ps. The theoretical work has led to the design of a novel tapered amplifier which allows a substantial reduction in the optical pump powers required for high speed wavelength conversion. It is shown that ultrashort risetimes can be achieved without the need for high power optical control signals. The project is now concentrating on the realisation of the tapered optical amplifier and addressing control of wavelength conversion components in WDM systems.
Key Findings
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Organisation Website:	http://www.bris.ac.uk