This thesis reports an experimental characterization of the ultrafast gain and refractive index dynamics of a novel InAs/InGaAsP/InP quantum-dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) operating near 1.55-µm wavelengths, assessing its high-speed performance characteristics for the first time. The thesis also studies the influence of the degree of quantum confinement on the dynamics of SOAs by comparing the zero-dimensional (0-D) QD's dynamics to those in 1-D InAs/InAlGaAs/InP quantum-dash (QDash), and 2-D InGaAsP/InGaAsP/InP quantum-well (QW) SOAs, both of which also operate near 1.55-µm wavelengths, and are made with matching or similar materials and structures. The ultrafast (around 1 ps) and long-lived (up to 2 ns) amplitude and phase dynamics of the SOAs are characterized via advanced heterodyne pump-probe measurements with 150-femtosecond resolution. It is found that the QD SOA has an 80-picosecond amplitude, and 110-picosecond phase recovery lifetime in the gain regime, 4-6 times faster than the QDash and QW recovery lifetimes, as well as reduced ultrafast transients, giving it the best properties for high-speed (> 100 Gb/s) all-optical signal processing in the important telecommunications wavelength bands. An impulse response model is developed and used to analyze the dynamics, facilitating a comparison of the gain compression factors, time-resolved linewidth enhancement factors (alpha-factors), and instantaneous dynamic coefficients (two-photon absorption and nonlinear refractive-index coefficients) amongst the three structures. The quantum-dot device is found to have the lowest effective alpha-factor, 2-10, compared to 8-16 in the QW, as well as time-resolved alpha-factors lower than in the QW—promising for reduced-phase-transient operation at high bitrates. Significant differences in the alpha-factors of lasers with the same structure are found, due to the differences between gain changes that are induced optically or through the electrical bias. The relative contributions of stimulated transitions and free-carrier absorption to the total carrier heating dynamics in SOAs of varying dimensionality are also reported for the first time. Examining the QD electroluminescence and linear gain spectra in combination with the carrier dynamics also brings about conclusions on the nature of the quantum confinement, dot energy-level structure, and density of states—aspects of the material that have not been previously well understood.

This thesis reports an experimental characterization of the ultrafast gain and refractive index dynamics of a novel InAs/InGaAsP/InP quantum-dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) operating near 1.55-µm wavelengths, assessing its high-speed performance characteristics for the first time. The thesis also studies the influence of the degree of quantum confinement on the dynamics of SOAs by comparing the zero-dimensional (0-D) QD's dynamics to those in 1-D InAs/InAlGaAs/InP quantum-dash (QDash), and 2-D InGaAsP/InGaAsP/InP quantum-well (QW) SOAs, both of which also operate near 1.55-µm wavelengths, and are made with matching or similar materials and structures. The ultrafast (around 1 ps) and long-lived (up to 2 ns) amplitude and phase dynamics of the SOAs are characterized via advanced heterodyne pump-probe measurements with 150-femtosecond resolution. It is found that the QD SOA has an 80-picosecond amplitude, and 110-picosecond phase recovery lifetime in the gain regime, 4-6 times faster than the QDash and QW recovery lifetimes, as well as reduced ultrafast transients, giving it the best properties for high-speed (> 100 Gb/s) all-optical signal processing in the important telecommunications wavelength bands. An impulse response model is developed and used to analyze the dynamics, facilitating a comparison of the gain compression factors, time-resolved linewidth enhancement factors (alpha-factors), and instantaneous dynamic coefficients (two-photon absorption and nonlinear refractive-index coefficients) amongst the three structures. The quantum-dot device is found to have the lowest effective alpha-factor, 2-10, compared to 8-16 in the QW, as well as time-resolved alpha-factors lower than in the QW—promising for reduced-phase-transient operation at high bitrates. Significant differences in the alpha-factors of lasers with the same structure are found, due to the differences between gain changes that are induced optically or through the electrical bias. The relative contributions of stimulated transitions and free-carrier absorption to the total carrier heating dynamics in SOAs of varying dimensionality are also reported for the first time. Examining the QD electroluminescence and linear gain spectra in combination with the carrier dynamics also brings about conclusions on the nature of the quantum confinement, dot energy-level structure, and density of states—aspects of the material that have not been previously well understood.

The task of the project was to evaluate a differential phase shift keying demodulation technique by replacing a Mach-Zehnder interferometer receiver with an optical filter (Fiber Bragg Grating). Computer simulations were made with single optical transmission, multi channel systems and transmission with combined angle/intensity modulated optical signals. The simulations showed good results at both 10 and 40 Gbit/s. Laboratory experiments were made at 10 Gbit/s to verify the simulation results. It was found that the demodulation technique worked, but not with satisfactory experimental results. The work was performed at Eindhoven University of Technology, Holland, within the framework of the STOLAS project at the department of Electro-optical communication.

The global communications network has become a pervasive and critical item of everyday life, spawning and enabling countless worldwide services that went from nonexistent to must-have in less than a decade. Its implementation makes considerable use of optical transmission systems, which are the physical medium of choice for most non-wireless links, being capable of high data rates over long distances. However, the potential of optics is still underexploited, and can help a smarter network meet the simultaneous challenges of ever-higher data rates, network switching, and the "last-mile" access network. <p> Very high data rates were achieved in optical transmissions in the late 1990s especially through wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) over the C and later the L spectral bands. For some time, the way to increase data rates was forecast to be higher symbol rates per wavelength, for which optical-to-electronic (O-E) conversions are a speed bottleneck. This required all-optical functionalities, especially to process optical time-domain multiplexed signals. In that line, I contributed to ultrafast clock recovery using opto-electronic phase-locked loops. <p> However, the recent comeback of coherent optical communications points to easier ways to increase the data rate by pushing towards higher spectral efficiencies, closer to the optical channel's Shannon capacity in the presence of certain physical impairments. Notably, some of my recent results suggest that polarization-dependent loss can be handled close to the limit thanks to a combination of space-time codes and more conventional error-correcting codes. <p> Switching is another bottleneck: the Internet's great versatility results in part from its packet-switching paradigm, but current optical networks are essentially circuit-switched using wavelength granularity. Packet-switching functionality is implemented purely in electronics, incurring numerous energy-inefficient O-E conversions and ballooning energy costs. <p> My work on all-optical functionalities included an all-optical label-processing scheme for switching nodes, though this approach would be subject to scaling problems in practice. More recently, my concern has shifted to hybrid switching nodes using electronic buffers to supplement an optical switching matrix. My current studies show great improvements of their sustainable load compared to all-optical switches at a given packet-loss probability. <p> Access network is the last stronghold where optical transmissions are not quite dominant yet. The focus there is on cost effectiveness and resource sharing, especially in passive optical networks (PONs). In order to bring WDM to PONs, I contributed to a pulsed continuum optical source that could have provided optical channels to multiple users simultaneously. More recently, I also oversaw work on reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers designed for colorless optical network units. <p> Finally, the challenge goes on for a better match between network functionalities and the untapped potential of optics. My focus is currently shifting towards cross-layer optical networking, requiring novel network architectures to break free from the electronic-centric layered-network model, and finally meeting the energy consumption problem square-on.

Eine wichtige Folge des Status epilepticus ist die Entwicklung einer chronischen Epilepsie. Die genauen Mechanismen und die Kinetik der Epileptogenese sind weitestgehend unklar. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war ein besseres Verständnis des Prozesses durch die In-vitro-Analyse von Lokalisation und Kinetik funktioneller Folgen des Status epilepticus in vivo. In kombinierten Hippokampus-entorhinaler Kortex Hirnschnittpräparaten von Wistar-Ratten nach elektrisch induziertem selbsterhaltendem Status epilepticus (self-sustaining status epilepticus, SSSE) wurden im Niedrig-Magnesium-Modell anfallsartige Ereignisse (AE) ausgelöst und untersucht. Die In-vitro-Analyse der AE wurde eine, vier und acht Wochen nach SSSE durchgeführt. Um das räumliche Verhalten der epileptischen Aktivität beurteilen zu können, wurde die Messung des extrazellulären Feldpotenzials mit der Analyse intrinsischer optischer Signale kombiniert. Im Verlauf nach SSSE kam es zu einer Latenzverkürzung bis zum Auftreten epileptischer Aktivität und zu einer Zunahme der AE-Frequenz. Vier und acht Wochen nach SSSE stieg der Anteil der AE mit großflächigem Ursprung signifikant an. Im Verlauf nach SSSE wurden außerdem zunehmend diskontinuierliche Ausbreitungsmuster der Anfallsaktivität beobachtet. Acht Wochen nach SSSE zeigten 50% der Präparate zudem eine zeitlich und räumlich von den AE unabhängige, hochfrequente Aktivität im Gyrus dentatus. Zusammenfassend wurden eine Latenzverkürzung und eine Zunahme der AE-Frequenz als Hinweise für eine gesteigerte Exzitabilität des Hirngewebes nach SSSE gesehen. Neben dem großflächigen Ursprung deutet auch die Zunahme diskontinuierlicher Ausbreitungsmuster auf eine gesteigerte Synchronizität des neuronalen Netzwerkes nach SSSE hin. Die autonome Aktivität im Gyrus dentatus spricht dafür, dass die in vorangegangenen Studien beschriebenen strukturellen Änderungen in dieser Region mit einer veränderten Funktionalität einhergehen. / The development of chronic epilepsy is a serious consequence of Status epilepticus. Little is known about the mechanisms and kinetic of the epileptogenic process. The aim of this md-thesis was the analysis of localisation and kinetic of functional deficits in vitro after Status epilepticus in vivo. Using the Low-Magnesium-Model, seizure-like events (SLE) were induced in combined hippocampal-entorhinal cortex slices of wistar rats after electrically induced self-sustaining Status epilepticus (SSSE). One, four and eight weeks after SSSE the in-vitro-analysis of SLE was performed. In order to determine onset and spread-pattern of epileptic activity, the measurement of the extracellular field-potential was combined with the imaging of intrinsic optical signals (IOS). In the time course after SSSE there was a reduction of the latency to onset of seizure activity and an increase of the SLE-frequency. Four and eight weeks after SSSE a significant increase of SLE with regional onset was found. In Addition, there was an increase of non-contiguous propagation of seizure activity. Eight weeks after SSSE 50% of the brain-slices showed autonomous high-frequent activity in the dentate gyrus. In conclusion a reduction of the latency to onset of seizure activity and an increase of the SLE-frequency were found. These changes are indicators of increased excitability after SSSE. Other than the regional onset, the non-contiguous spread-pattern also indicates increased synchronicity of the neuronal network after SSSE. The autonomous activity in the dentate Gyrus shows, that the previously described structural changes in this region lead to functional deficits.

O trabalho tem por objetivo o estudo e o desenvolvimento de interferômetros recuperadores com baixa tensão de meia onda utilizando moduladores eletro-ópticos para serem aplicados em sistemas Interferométricos de luz branca. Ele dá continuidade às pesquisas do autor em seu mestrado, em que foi desenvolvido e testado um sistema de sensoriamento eletro-óptico capaz de medir diretamente tensões de até 69,4 kVRMS. Desta forma aperfeiçoa-se o sistema de processamento de sinais ópticos desenvolvendo um novo interferômetro recuperador, baseado em óptica integrada. Para o desenvolvimento do tema proposto, inicialmente foi feito uma revisão da literatura/bibliografia, baseada em livros, artigos e teses, visando identificar o \"estado da arte\" relacionado aos moduladores eletro-ópticos para definir o tipo de modulador mais adequado à aplicação em vista. O estudo resultou na escolha de um componente em óptica integrada que foi aplicado numa configuração inédita em um protótipo de transformador de potencial óptico para medição de elevados níveis de tensão elétrica. As características de desempenho deste protótipo foram comparadas com as do protótipo previamente construído. Como resultado deste trabalho, amplia-se o conhecimento e fixa-se em âmbito nacional o domínio sobre as técnicas de construção de interferômetros recuperadores baseados em óptica integrada aplicáveis à recuperação de sinais ópticos em sistemas interferométricos para medição de altas tensões. / This work has as objective the study and development of low half-wave voltage recovery interferometers using electro-optical modulators to be applied to white light interferometric systems. This work is a continuation in the research carried out by the author to obtain his master degree, in which it was developed and tested an electro- optic sensing system capable to measure direct voltage to 69.4 kVrms. In the present work the optical signals processing system is improved by developing a new recovery interferometer based on integrated optics. To develop the proposed subject, initially a review of the literature, based on books, articles and thesis, has been done aiming to identify the State of the Art related to electro-optic modulators and helping to define the most suitable type of modulator for the desired application. The study resulted in the selection of an integrated optical device arranged in an unpublished configuration that was applied to a prototype of optical voltage transformer, intended to measure high voltage levels. The performance of this prototype was compared with a previous version. The results of this work increase the knowledge of the construction techniques of recovery interferometers based on integrated optic devices applicable to the recovering of optical signals in interferometric systems for high voltage measurement.

No description available.

O trabalho tem por objetivo o estudo e o desenvolvimento de interferômetros recuperadores com baixa tensão de meia onda utilizando moduladores eletro-ópticos para serem aplicados em sistemas Interferométricos de luz branca. Ele dá continuidade às pesquisas do autor em seu mestrado, em que foi desenvolvido e testado um sistema de sensoriamento eletro-óptico capaz de medir diretamente tensões de até 69,4 kVRMS. Desta forma aperfeiçoa-se o sistema de processamento de sinais ópticos desenvolvendo um novo interferômetro recuperador, baseado em óptica integrada. Para o desenvolvimento do tema proposto, inicialmente foi feito uma revisão da literatura/bibliografia, baseada em livros, artigos e teses, visando identificar o \"estado da arte\" relacionado aos moduladores eletro-ópticos para definir o tipo de modulador mais adequado à aplicação em vista. O estudo resultou na escolha de um componente em óptica integrada que foi aplicado numa configuração inédita em um protótipo de transformador de potencial óptico para medição de elevados níveis de tensão elétrica. As características de desempenho deste protótipo foram comparadas com as do protótipo previamente construído. Como resultado deste trabalho, amplia-se o conhecimento e fixa-se em âmbito nacional o domínio sobre as técnicas de construção de interferômetros recuperadores baseados em óptica integrada aplicáveis à recuperação de sinais ópticos em sistemas interferométricos para medição de altas tensões. / This work has as objective the study and development of low half-wave voltage recovery interferometers using electro-optical modulators to be applied to white light interferometric systems. This work is a continuation in the research carried out by the author to obtain his master degree, in which it was developed and tested an electro- optic sensing system capable to measure direct voltage to 69.4 kVrms. In the present work the optical signals processing system is improved by developing a new recovery interferometer based on integrated optics. To develop the proposed subject, initially a review of the literature, based on books, articles and thesis, has been done aiming to identify the State of the Art related to electro-optic modulators and helping to define the most suitable type of modulator for the desired application. The study resulted in the selection of an integrated optical device arranged in an unpublished configuration that was applied to a prototype of optical voltage transformer, intended to measure high voltage levels. The performance of this prototype was compared with a previous version. The results of this work increase the knowledge of the construction techniques of recovery interferometers based on integrated optic devices applicable to the recovering of optical signals in interferometric systems for high voltage measurement.

Le mélange à quatre ondes est un effet non linéaire sensible à la phase qui suscite de nombreux intérêts dans le domaine de la génération de peignes de fréquences et du traitement tout optique du signal par exemple. Un peigne de fréquences peut en effet s'obtenir par effet de mélange à quatre ondes 1en cascade. Dans ce cas, un nombre N d'ondes interagissent entre elles via l'effet Kerr et la modélisation d'un tel processus doit tenir compte de tous les couplages possibles entre les ondes. Au cours de mes travaux de thèse, je me suis intéressé, dans un premier temps, à la modélisation du mélange à quatre ondes dit multiple pour lequel un nombre quelconque N d'ondes interagissent entre elles. J'ai proposé une formulation générale permettant d'identifier simplement tous les termes de mélange à quatre ondes issus de toutes les combinaisons possibles de couplage entre les ondes et leur désaccord de phase associé. J'ai validé cette approche en proposant une étude théorique et expérimentale d'un processus de mélange à quatre ondes multiple dans une fibre optique non linéaire. Dans une deuxième partie, j'ai proposé, grâce au modèle élaboré précédemment, une étude théorique du phénomène de conversion de fréquence sensible à la phase, permettant la décomposition des composantes en quadrature d'un signal optique. Dans la littérature, cette expérience fut démontrée initialement avec quatre ondes pompes et dans plusieurs types de composants non linéaires. J'ai pu démontrer, au cours de mes travaux, que trois pompes étaient suffisantes pour réaliser l'expérience et j'ai déterminé des relations analytiques simples permettant de choisir les paramètres expérimentaux (notamment l'amplitude et la phase des pompes) rendant possible la décomposition des composantes en quadrature d'un signal. J'ai validé cette étude par la démonstration expérimentale d'un convertisseur de fréquence sensible à la phase avec uniquement trois pompes et j'ai étudié théoriquement les effets de la dispersion chromatique sur les performances du convertisseur de fréquence. Enfin, dans une dernière partie, j'ai caractérisé des fibres optiques microstructurées en verre de chalcogénure fabriquées dans le cadre d'une collaboration avec Perfos, l'Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes et SelenOptics. Dans ce cadre, j'ai mis en place un banc de mesure de la dispersion chromatique et du coefficient non linéaire des fibres optiques basé sur le mélange à quatre ondes. / Four-wave mixing is a phase-sensitive nonlinear effect that arouses interest, particularly in the fields of frequency comb generation and all-optical signal processing. As an example, frequency combs can be produced thanks to a cascaded four-wave mixing process. In this case, N waves can interact with each other through the optical Kerr effect, and one has to take into account all the possible interactions to be able to adequately model the process. During my PhD thesis, I was interested in modeling the so-called multiple four-wave mixing process, in which any number N of waves can interact with each other. I proposed a general formulation that allows to easily identify all the four-wave mixing terms originating from all the possible combinations of wave coupling and their associated phase-mismatch terms. I validated this approach through the theoretical and experimental study of a multiple four-wave mixing process in a nonlinear optical fiber. Thanks to the developed model, I then proposed a theoretical study of the phase-sensitive frequency conversion process, which permits to demultiplex the quadrature components of an optical signal. In the literature, this process was first experimentally demonstrated in several nonlinear devices using four pump waves. I demonstrated that only three pump waves were required to successfully perform the experiment, and I determined the simple analytical relations from which the adequate experimental parameters (namely, the amplitudes and phases of the pump waves) could be deduced. I finally validated this study by experimentally demonstrating a phase-sensitive frequency conversion process with only three pump waves, and I theoretically studied the influence of chromatic dispersion on the performance of this frequency converter. Finally, I characterized some chalcogenide microstructured optical fibers that were fabricated in the framework of a collaboration with Perfos, the Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, and SelenOptics. I set up a test bench based on the four-wave mixing process in order to measure the chromatic dispersion and nonlinear coefficient of some optical fibers.

This thesis deals with optical synthesis of unmodulated and modulated microwave signals. Generation of microwave signals based on optical heterodyning is discussed in detail. The effect of phase noise of laser on heterodyned output has been studied for different phase noise profiles. Towards this, we propose a generic algorithm to numerically model the linewidth broadening of a laser due to phase noise. Generation of microwave signals is demonstrated practically by conducting an optical heterodyning experiment. Signals ranging in frequency from 12.5 MHz to 27 GHz have been generated. Limitations of optical heterodyning based approach in terms of phase noise performance and frequency stability are discussed and practically demonstrated. A hardware-efficient Optical Phase Locked Loop (OPLL) is proposed to overcome these issues. Phase noise tracking performance of the proposed OPLL has been experimentally demonstrated. Phase noise values as low as -105 dBc/Hz at 10 KHz offset have been achieved. Optical modulators, owing to their extremely low electro-optic response time, can support high frequency modulating signals. This makes them highly attractive in comparison to their microwave counterparts. In this thesis, we propose techniques to generate microwave signals modulated at very high bit rates by down-converting the corresponding modulated optical signals to microwave domain. Down-conversion required for this process is achieved by optical heterodyning. The proposed concept has been theoretically analyzed, simulated and experimentally validated. Amplitude Modulated and ASK modulated microwave signals have been generated as Proof-of-Concept. Limitations posed by OPLL in generation of angle modulated microwave signals by optical heterodyning have been brought out. Schemes overcoming these limitations have been proposed towards generation of BPSK and QPSK modulated microwave signals. Integrated Optics (IO) technology has been studied as a means of implementation of the proposed concepts. IO components like Sinusoidal bends, Y-branch splitters and Electro-Optic-Modulators (EOMs) have been designed towards optical synthesis of modulated microwave signals. Propagation of modulated optical signal through these IO components has also been studied. An all-optic scheme based on Optical Beam Forming is proposed for transmission of QPSK modulated signal. Limitation of phase-shifting based approach, in terms of beam-squint, has been brought out. True-Time-Delay based approach has been proposed for applications demanding wide instantaneous bandwidth to avoid beam-squint. Algorithms / numerical methods required for analyses and simulations associated with the above-mentioned tasks have been evolved. This study is envisaged to provide useful insight into the realization of high-speed, compact, light-weight data transmitting systems based on Integrated Optics for future onboard spacecraft applications. This work, we believe, is a step towards realization of an Integrated Optic System-on-Chip solution for specific microwave data transmission applications.