Synthesis of optical standard frequencies in the S, C and L telecommunication bands by use of four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers

The generation of standard reference frequencies close to the ITU channels is essential for the calibration and maintenance of DWDM systems. This work describes a method to synthesize frequency references in the range from 187.1 to 205.1 THz (1462–1602 nm). The method is based on the generation of four equispaced frequencies (by the process of four-wave mixing in a semiconductor amplifier) of which two are locked to absorption lines of the acetylene 12C2H2 (1511–1542 nm).