NRZ to Manchester code conversion based on nonlinear optical fiber loop mirror

An approach to convert NRZ signal to Manchester code at 20 Gbit/s based on nonlinear optical fiber loop mirror (NOLM) is demonstrated. Using 20 Gbit/s NRZ data and optical clock as external pumps of the NOLM, the conversion of NRZ to Manchester code is successfully realized. The eye diagrams, waveforms and optical spectra are presented. We investigated the extinction ratio (ER) penalty (5 dB) to evaluate the system performance and analyzed the method to improve it. The proposed scheme is potential for applications in future networks.