High-speed optical binary data pattern recognition for network security applications

All-optical high-speed binary data pattern recognition is one of the key technologies in network security applications. A serial pattern recognition scheme is presented, which can detect and locate a specified random target pattern within an input data sequence at high bit-rate. The logic operation principle is presented using logic equations. The logic AND/XNOR gates and a recirculating loop at 10.65–42.6 Gbit/s are successfully demonstrated using three semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based gates. The experiments have successfully demonstrated the random pattern recognition up to 256–bits at 42.6 Gbit/s.