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We propose a novel multi-flow transmitter concept capable of controlling the number, type, wavelength, and destination of the generated optical flows depending on the client traffic. The concept is based on the selection of the number of optical carriers per flow and the selection between single- and dual-polarization flows. We demonstrate the proof-of-concept combining two commercial In-Phase/Quadrature (IQ) modulators with two prototype polymer circuits, which integrate three tunable lasers for flexible wavelength allocation, four thermo-optic switches for flexible optical routing on-chip, and elements for polarization handling on-chip. We incorporate this transmitter inside an optical node, and we investigate one-flow scenarios with dual-carrier or dual-polarization quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, and two-flow scenarios based on two independent QPSK signals. The transmitter and node configuration are controlled by a software-defined optics platform. We demonstrate dynamic operation at 28 GBd and error-free coherent transmission over 100 km of the standard single-mode fiber.

We introduce a hybrid integration platform based on the combination of passive and electro-optic polymers. We analyze the optical and physical compatibility of these materials and describe the advantages that our hybrid platform is expected to have for the development of transmitters in terms of operation flexibility and speed. We combine our platform with InP electronics and develop a transmitter with 22-nm tunability in the C-band and potential for serial non-return-to-zero on-off-keying operation directly at 100 Gb/s. We investigate its transmission performance at 80 and 100 Gb/s using dispersion uncompensated standard single-mode fiber and demonstrate bit-error rate (BER) lower than 10(-10) at 80 Gb/s after 1625 m, lower than 10(-10) at 100 Gb/s after 500 m, lower than 10(-9) at 100 Gb/s after 1000 m, and BER 10(-7) at the same rate after 1625 m. We also employ the transmitter inside an experimental setup, which aims to emulate an optical circuit switched (OCS) domain of an intradata center network, and demonstrate at 100 Gb/s the way, in which its wavelength tunability can resolve contentions and improve the flexibility and the efficiency of the network. Finally, we outline our next plans, including the development of flexible and ultra-fast transmitters for coherent systems using the same polymer-to-polymer integration platform.

We report on the simultaneous 2R regeneration of up to three 42.7-Gb/s wavelength-division-multiplexing channels in a simple dispersion-managed fiber section with signal quality improvements higher than 1.7 dB. The regenerator relies on self-phase modulation-induced spectral broadening of the optical channels inside the fiber section and subsequent bandpass filtering at shifted wavelengths, and it is experimentally investigated in single-, dual-, and three-channel operation using optical pulses of 33% duty cycle.

We propose a simple all-optical clock recovery technique for short data packets at 160 Gb/s, and beyond, which is based on the concept of using a Fabry-Peacuterot filter (FPF). The novel feature of the technique is the use of a highly nonlinear fiber followed by an optical bandpass filter, centered at the initial carrier wavelength, which acts as an ultrafast power limiter, removing drastically the amplitude modulation of the FPF's output and providing the clock signal