Patent ID: 6204944
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
An all-optical time-division demultiplexing circuit, for separating time-division multiplexed optical pulses, comprising:optical power adjusting means for receiving an optical pulse stream of time-division multiplexed signal, of a signal frequency .upsilon.s, comprised of N signal channels, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and outputting power-adjusted signal pulses;a control light source for generating control pulses which have the same repetition rate as said signal channels, and which are synchronized with signal channels of said time-division multiplexed optical pulses, and whose optical frequency varies monotonically from a leading end to a trailing end and is different from said signal optical frequency .upsilon.s, and which have a pulse duration sufficient for a total inclusion of said N signal channels;optical wavelength-division multiplexing means for multiplexing an optical pulse stream of time-division multiplexed signal power-adjusted by said optical power adjusting means and said control pulses;an optical Kerr medium for receiving output signal by said optical wavelength-division multiplexing means, producing cross-phase modulation locally on the time axis to said control pulses depending on the presence or absence of signal pulses in said signal channel of said time-division multiplexed optical pulses, and power modulating said control pulse of component frequencies .upsilon..sub.1, .upsilon..sub.2, . . . , .upsilon..sub.N corresponding to said each signal channel by inducing an optical frequency shift of said chirped control pulse to compensate on the frequency axis;optical wavelength-division demultiplexing means for receiving light output by said optical Kerr medium, separating said control pulse of component frequencies .upsilon..sub.1, .upsilon..sub.2, . . . , .upsilon..sub.N corresponding to signal channels of said time-division multiplexed optical pulse stream, and outputting to respective ports of corresponding individual optical frequencies.