All-optical switching in a highly efficient parametric fiber mixer: design study.

Ultrafast all-optical switching in a highly nonlinear fiber with a longitudinally varied zero-dispersion wavelength was investigated theoretically and experimentally. We describe fiber-matched methodology for construction of a fast, low energy photon switch. The design relies on static and dynamic models and allows performance target selection, under constraints of physical fiber characteristic. The new design methodology was used to construct one-pump switch in the highly efficient parametric mixer. We demonstrate that such a parametric gate can operate at 100 GHz rate, with 2 aJ control energy, while achieving better than 50% extinction ratio. Theoretical analysis and experimental measurements indicate that accurate mapping of the fiber local dispersion is critical in optimizing the bandwidth and control energy of the switch. Switching performance limits are discussed and means for impairment mitigation are described.