Patent ID: 6396607
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
An optical regenerator for use in an optical transmission system comprising:an optical N wavelength division multiplexed channel signal synchronizing arrangement responsive to the reception of an optical input signal to the regenerator comprising N wavelength division multiplexed channel signals for adaptively synchronizing the phase of all of the N channel signals relative to a predetermined one of the N channel signals, and for generating an optical output signal comprising N synchronized wavelength division multiplexed channel signals, where NÂ·2; an optical pulse retiming and reshaping arrangement comprising a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) arrangement which is responsive to the optical output signal from the signal synchronizing arrangement for retiming and reshaping optical pulses of the optical synchronized N wavelength division multiplexed channel signals, and for generating a corresponding optical NOLM output signal; and an Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) responsive to the optical NOLM output signal for amplifying the retimed and reshape optical NOLM output signal, and for generating an amplified and phase-synchronized optical N wavelength division multiplexed channel output signal for transmission as an output signal from the optical regenerator.