Polarization-insensitive all-optical wavelength conversion using dispersion-shifted fiber with a fiber Bragg grating and a Faraday rotator mirror

We demonstrate a simple technique for polarization-insensitive all-optical wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing in dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) with a fiber Bragg grating and a Faraday rotator mirror. The experimental residual polarization sensitivity is reduced from more than 22-2 dB with 4 km of DSF, and the power penalty incurred in wavelength conversion for 10-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero data is less than 1 dB for a 20-nm conversion distance. Theoretically, this technique will have negligible polarization sensitivity when the propagation loss of the pump through the DSF approaches zero.