UROOF: Ultrawide band Radio over Fibre
UROOF is addressing the challenging problem of low-cost and high performance conversion of high data rate communication signals from optical domain (over single mode and multimode fibre) to radio frequency domain and vice-versa. UROOF focus on photonic components and device concepts that apply for transmission of Ultra-wideband (UWB) radio signal over hybrid wireless/fibre networks.
Website: www.ist-uroof.org
IPHOBAC: Integrated Photonic mm-Wave Functions For Broadband Connectivity
IPHOBAC is developing innovative photonic components and integrated functions for millimeter-wave applications in the fields of communications, measurement equipment/instrumentation and security/radar. IPHOBAC's innovative approaches form the bases for a new class of advanced and very compact photonic solutions, including highly stable, spectrally pure millimeter wave sources, ultra-wide tuneable millimeter-wave sources (10GHz-300GHz) or ultra-wideband millimeter-wave transmitters (110GHz). Also individual millimeter-wave photonic components including broadband (f3dB>80GHz) or high-frequency (W-band) photodetectors, as well as transducers for 60 GHz duplex communication and vectorial modulation/demodulation schemes for 10GB/s wireless transmission are currently being developed. IPHOBAC integrates a chain of European partners contributing to the development and the commercialization of such advanced millimeter-wave photonic components and functions. IPHOBAC is a European project.
Website: www.ist-iphobac.org/iphobac/index.asp
MUFINS ~ Multi-functional Integrated Arrays of Interferometric Switches
Even though general purpose, all-optical processing is still a long way off, there are specialized applications in high data rate telecommunications and networking, where ultra high speed, low complexity all-optical circuits are ideally suited. The next key step in all-optical technology evolution is to develop the means to manufacture compact and low cost arrays of all-optical gates, that is, to develop the capability for the VLSI of all-optical gates.
MUFINS combines the efforts of 8 European research groups as the first step in this direction. MUFINS aims to demonstrate 2 and 4 element monolithically integrated arrays of packaged and pigtailed InGaAsP, 2x2 all-optical switches on single InP substrates for operation at 10 and 40 Gb/s. Two integration techniques will be used. The first will use active/passive integration based on regrowth and the second will use the Active Vertical Coupling technique to produce arrays of all-optical switches. The performance of the discrete 2 and 4 element arrays will be evaluated in multigate all-optical circuits such as, Header Extraction, Clock and Data Recovery, Time Slot Interchanger, 4-wavelength Burst Mode Receiver, Half and Full-Adder and a 4x4 all-optical Switching Matrix. Finally MUFINS will demonstrate a 3 gate, 40 Gb/s all-optical Burst Mode Receiver hybridly integrated on a PLC sub-mount. The choice of the evaluation experiments was such as to show that generic, multi-element arrays of integrated all-optical gates can find application in different domains. By drawing through different application pools, MUFINS intends to assure that the developed multi-gate elements can have an adequate market to support them as products after the end of the project.
Project partners are: RACTI (Greece), CIP (UK), Siemens (Portugal), Telecom Italia (Italy), TU/e (Netherlands), University of Essex (UK), University of Bristol (UK).
Web site: http://mufins.cti.gr/
STREP project start date: 1st September 2004 End date: 31st Aug 2007
CIP is the SME industrial technology provider to the project. We are responsible for delivering the hybrid integrated circuits to the systems partners as well as the epitaxial material and device packaging for our university partners.
LASAGNE ~ All-optical Label Swapping Employing Optical Logic Gates In Network Nodes
Future IP-based all optical networks will require technologies to enable packet routing at Terabit/s bitrates. All-optical label swapping (AOLS) is a type of optical packet switching that is intended to solve the potential mismatch between fibre capacity and router packet forwarding capacity. To date packet label processing has been carried out at the electrical domain (for example, IST-STOLAS or IST-LABELS). However, in order to achieve full transparency at the optical node it is necessary to perform this functionality at the optical domain. Likewise, the node optical layer needs to implement the required "intelligence" to look up the routing table and forwarding the packets. The LASAGNE project aims at studying, proposing and validating the use of all-optical logic gates and optical flip-flops based on commercially available technologies to implement the required functionalities at the metro network nodes in AOLS networks.
The optical gates are implemented using the same key building block: Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) incorporating semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), which results in a really flexible and scalable approach in terms of manufacturing. A functional photonic router prototype incorporating all-optical label swapping and wavelength conversion will be integrated using optical logic gates and optical flip-flops. This photonic router is featured as modular, scalable, and with potential of large system integration, what is achieved employing the same key building block in all in-node functionalities (SOA-based MZIs). The definition of the architecture of the AOLS node should be consistent with the proposed network scenario and protocols used. Both technical and economic implications of the proposed AOLS node structure and functionalities over the existing GMPLS-based services or protocols, and future European optical networks will be assessed. Moreover, intermediate solutions between a circuit-switched network and an AOLS network will be considered.
Project partners are: UPVLC (Spain), IMEC (Belgium), Telecom Italia (Italy), TU/e (Netherlands), TUD (Denmark), ICCS (Greece), Fibernet SL (Spain), CIP (UK)
Web site: http://www.ist-lasagne.org/
STREP project start date: 1st January 2004 End date: 31st Dec 2006
In LASAGNE, CIP are responsible for delivery of all of the optical technology developed on the project. This covers the optical wavelength converters, optical regenerators, hybrid flip flop circuits and optical XOR gates.
PHOLOGIC ~ Nanophotonic Logic Gates
PHOLOGIC intends to assess and optimise the path towards using CdTe and Si-nc materials in a intermediate step within a CMOS mass-manufacturing processing route. Therefore, the full optical characterisation of the proposed materials and the optimisation of their fabrication processes will suppose a radical long-term innovation beyond current state-of-the-art and a clear innovation aimed at mastering nanophotonics for low cost..
As a functional validation device an all-optical logic gate using a nonlinear Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure will be implemented. Such a structure is highly scalable (most suitable for mass-manufacturing) and multi-functional, since the same structure can be employed to perform many key functionalities required in all-optical network nodes. Furthermore, photonic crystals as well as other periodic structures will be used to exploit the concept of slow waveguiding (due to the very low group velocity achieved) reducing thus the size and power requirements of the all-optical logic gate.
Project partners are: CIP (UK), CREO (Italy), CEA-LETI (France), IMM (Spain), UB-EME (Spain), UNITN (Italy) and UPVLC (Spain).
Web site: http://www.ist-phologic.org/
STREP Project start date: 1st June 2005 End date: 31st May 2008
CIP are providing technology development in terms of establishing processes for the fabrication of Cd-Te non-linear waveguides, optical measurements and systems steer on performance targets for the optical XOR gates.
PIEMAN ~ Photonic Integrated Extended Metro and Access Network
PIEMAN will perform ambitious physical layer research into a future broadband optical access system with capability well beyond what is achievable today. The objective is a 100 km reach photonic network which will integrate access and metro into one system, whereas today access and metro are provided by separate systems. PIEMAN will therefore greatly simplify network architectures and so reduce costs. The PIEMAN system will be an evolution from today’s passive optical networks and will offer multiple wavelengths each carrying 10 Gbit/s upstream and downstream. The upstream direction is especially challenging at 10 Gbit/s – a factor of ten faster than any passive optical network to date. The system will be all-optical between the user and the service node ~100 km distant. Radical new techniques will be studied to allow cost-effective “colourless” 10 Gbit/s transmitters in the customer premises of both tunable laser and reflective modulator designs.
Project partners are: BT (UK), CIP (UK), Siemens (Germany), Alcatel (Germany), University of Ghent (Belgium), UCC (Ireland).
Web site: http://www.ist-pieman.org/
STREP project start date: 1st Jan 2006 End date: 31st Dec 2009
CIP are the technology partner responsible for the development of all of the optoelectronic components on the project, including the monolithic SOA-EAM reflective modulator device and the hybrid tuneable 10Gb/s laser transmitter.
WISDOM – Wirespeed Security Domains Using Optical Monitoring
WISDOM is designed to develop advanced optical components necessary for photonic firewalls. This will involve the development of novel optical processing modules which will be placed at the front end of the node firewall to provide the primary optical information filtering - operating at wirespeed (40Gbit/s per channel) – which includes operations such as optical packet recognition, interrogation and manipulating data streams incorporating features of parity checking, flag status, and header recognition.
Secondary processing would then be done electronically as is currently the case, but with the benefit of a reduction in the electronic processing capacity required.
These photonic firewalls will operate using novel algorithms and protocols, to extract and process wirespeed security information in high capacity multichannel (Tb/s) networks. The algorithms will combine the functionality of optical processing with secondary electronic security approaches to introduce new layers of security analysis.
Project partners are: CIP (UK), BT (UK), UCC (Eire), Avanex (France), FORTH (Hellas, Greece)
Web site: http://www.ist-wisdom.org
STREP project start date: 1st June 06 End date: 31st May 2009
CIP are the lead project partner and are responsible for the development of the integrated photonic processing circuits to be used in the optical firewall.
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