Broad-Band Wavelength Up-Conversion of Picosecond Pulses via Four-Wave Mixing in a

Abstract—Wavelength up-conversion of 1.6-ps pulses is achieved through four-wave mixing (FWM) in an InAs–InP quantum-dash ridge waveguide laser operating at 1587 nm. The up-conversion efficiency is measured as a function of injection current, for pump–probe detunings in the range 1.8–3.8 THz. The efficiency is found to increase with current up to a point of saturation. The gain at the conjugate wavelength is found to enhance the efficiency. For a detuning of 1.8 THz, an efficiency of 17.6 dB is obtained; this is similar to or higher than reported efficiencies for FWM with continuous-wave signals in quantum dots and dashes, at similar detunings. Further improvement may be obtained through optimization of the pump power. Index Terms—Nonlinear optics, optical frequency conversion, quantum dots, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). I