FWM Implementation and Analysis Using MATLAB

Abstract

The third-order nonlinear process of four-wave mixing (FWM) in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides has been investigated intensively due to the large third-order susceptibility of silicon. The exploration of nonlinear optical processes in SOI waveguides has achieved a level from where the researchers can move ahead of the proof-of-concept stage and enter the practical application empire. Signal amplification, wavelength conversion, and signal regeneration are exceptionally available applications in the SOI-platform for present and future integrated photonic circuits. These applications are only possible due to the large pump powers and small modal areas of the SOI waveguides which are equally essential for large nonlinear optical responses. Further investigations can produce silicon photonic devices for optical signal processing functions, i.e., modulation, logic operations, optical signal regeneration, spectral phase conjugation, signal-waveform compression, and a number of other areas. In this chapter, the utility of FWM in SOI waveguides for all-optical wavelength conversion is investigated by exploiting the Simulink MATLAB tool. Realization of signal amplification with wavelength conversion is demonstrated and then optimized by analyzing influence of various parameters of pump, signal, and waveguide. For the majority of applications of FWM in SOI waveguides, the most required phenomenon of phase matching has been taken into consideration during each simulation step.