Detection of 23 Gbit/s 4 bit optical cells using a new bit-rate down convertor

A new bit-rate down convertor is proposed for detecting high-speed optical cells in an ultrafast photonic ATM switch. This converts high-speed optical cells into lower-speed cells with a minimal amount of hardware, while maintaining the correct sequence of optical pulses in each cell. The conversion of 23 Gbit/s 4 bit optical cells into 100 Mbit/s electrical signals, including bit-error-rate measurements, is demonstrated.