Spatial routing at 125 Gbit/s based on noncollinear generation of self-trapped beams in Ti:PPLN film waveguides

We investigated numerically and experimentally spatial switching and spatial steering of optical beams based on the noncollinear excitation of self-trapped waves in a quadratic nonlinear medium. The two input fields at the fundamental frequency give birth either to a single spatial soliton or to two separate solitons. Their propagation directions and their location on the output face of the crystal are conditioned by the phase difference between the input beams. An all-optical ultra fast switch based on that scheme was then implemented in a periodically poled lithium niobate film waveguide. Pulse dropping in a 125 Gbits/s pulse train at 1548 nm has been demonstrated.