Two bit all-optical analog-to-digital converter based on nonlinear Kerr effect in 2D photonic crystals

We have demonstrated the performance of a novel design for a single wavelength 2-bit all-optical analog-to-digital converter (ADC). This converter consists of two high efficient channel drop filters with a coupled cavity-based wavelength selective reflector in a 2D photonic crystal with total length of 15.87 μm. The A/D conversion is achieved by using nonlinear Kerr effect in the cavities. The output ports switch to state ‘1’ at different input power levels to generate unique states preferred for an ADC. This conversion is simulated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method for 5 different power levels. The proposed structure can function as a two-bit ADC with a 60 mW/μm input pulse and its maximum sampling rate is found to be ~ 45 GS/s.