Modelling of all optical synchronous up-counter using microring resonator

Abstract

The current work proposes an optimized design for 2-bit synchronous up counter using silicon nitride on insulator optical microring resonators (MRRs). The research involves exploring the existing designs of up counter structures based on MRRs, and then minimizing the number of rings being used in the proposed model. The proposed design uses four MRRs for Synchronous up counter operation and the model has been validated through the MATLAB simulation result. The main component of the design is the MRR which can act as a switch depending upon the output at the drop port or the through port according to the MRR being in an on-resonance or off-resonance state respectively. The principle of the MRR is that on applying a vertical pump signal over the ring, the non-linear refractive index of the ring undergoes a temporary blue shift resulting due to π- phase shift in the ring, changing the resonant frequency of operation of the ring. The average pump power required for the blue shift can be obtained from the phase shift vs. the average pump power graph simulated in MATLAB. This shift in resonance frequency is employed to switching action for the signal to be output at the drop port or the through port of the MRR and based on the drive signal inputs of the present state and the clock to the rings in the resonator structure which act as pump signal over the ring, the next state of the counter is determined.