Design and performance of high-speed optical pulse-code generators using optical fiber Bragg gratings

The application of optical fiber Bragg grating filters to all-optical pulse-code generation was investigated. We report the design, fabrication, and testing of Bragg grating structures that convert a single picosecond input pulse into a train of output pulses, each with defined amplitude and timing. Experimental results are presented in which single 1.8 ps input pulses from a mode-locked fiber laser were efficiently converted into a "1101" optical codeword comprising a train of similar pulses, each separated by 11.1 ps.