40-Gb/s all-optical digital 4-bit priority encoder employing cross-gain modulation in semiconductor optical amplifiers

High-speed all-optical logic circuits have attracted much attention because of their important roles in signal processing in next-generation optical networks. The digital encoder is widely used in binary calculation, multiplexing, demultiplexing, address recognition and data encryption. A priority encoder allows the existence of multiple valid inputs simultaneously, identifies the priority of the request signals and encodes the priority. We propose and experimentally demonstrate an all-optical 4-bit priority encoder for return-to-zero signals at 40 Gbit/s based on cross-gain modulation in semiconductor optical amplifiers. Detuning filters after semiconductor optical amplifiers are employed to improve the output performance. Correct logic bit sequences and clear open eye patterns with extinction ratios exceeding 10 dB are achieved.