VARIABLE DELAYING DEVICE FOR OPTICAL SIGNAL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an extremely short switching time without generating interference noise by allowing a semiconductor optical amplifier to simultaneously play the roles of an amplifying optical gate and a wavelength converter. SOLUTION: A delaying device (Dx) including a coupler (C) for reducing the switching time and a multiplexer (M) including n-number of input parts (B1-Bn) respectively fixed to different n-number of wave lengths (λ1-λn) is provided. The input parts (B2-Bn) of the multiplexer (M) are respectively connected with the output parts (A2-An) of the coupler (C) through wave length converters (K2, Ki and Kn) and all different delay lines (L1, Li and Ln). Each converter (Ki) is provided with the function of the amplifying optical gate (G) and supplies waves carried in a wave length (λi) combined by an input part (Bi) for this input part (Bi) corresponding to the multiplexer (M). In addition, a wave length multiplex channel synchronizing device using a variable delaying device is also provided and especially applied to the synchronization of an optical packet within a switching optical network.