Wavelength converter based on integrated all-active three-port Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Abstract
The realisation and first static results of a novel monolithic Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) wavelength converter configuration in InGaAsP/InP MQW technology is reported. The compact all-active three-port MZI device allows for effective improvement of the on/off ratio up to 18 dB (from 6 to 26 dB) due to direct optical access to one of the interferometer arms by an extra input branch. This device is very attractive for high-capacity optical networks.