Secure Communications in High Speed Fiber Optical Networks Using Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) Transmission
This project is focused on the development of advanced components and system technologies for secure data transmission on high-speed fiber optic data systems. This work capitalizes on (1) a strong relationship with outstanding faculty at the University of California-Davis who are experts in high speed fiber-optic networks, (2) the realization that code division multiple access (CDMA) is emerging as a bandwidth enhancing technique for fiber optic networks, (3) the realization that CDMA of sufficient complexity forms the basis for almost unbreakable one-time key transmissions, (4) our concepts for superior components for implementing CDMA, (5) our expertise in semiconductor device processing and (6) our Center for Nano and Microtechnology, which is where the majority of the experimental work was done. Here we present a novel device concept, which will push the limits of current technology, and will simultaneously solve system implementation issues by investigating new state-of-the-art fiber technologies. This will enable the development of secure communication systems for the transmission and reception of messages on deployed commercial fiber optic networks, through the CDMA phase encoding of broad bandwidth pulses. CDMA technology has been developed as a multiplexing technology, much like wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) or time division multiplexing (TDM), to increase the potential number of users on a given communication link. A novel application of the techniques created for CDMA is to generate secure communication through physical layer encoding. Physical layer encoding devices are developed which utilize semiconductor waveguides with fast carrier response times to phase encode spectral components of a secure signal. Current commercial technology, most commonly a spatial light modulator, allows phase codes to be changed at rates of only 10's of Hertz ({approx}25ms response). The use of fast (picosecond to nanosecond) carrier dynamics of semiconductors, as opposed to field dynamics of liquid crystal molecules, enable phase codes at GHz rates. The semiconductor arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) is the building block of the encoder/decoder device. A monolithically integrated AWG is developed in this LDRD. Using this building block, the AWG can be integrated with phase modulators to create temporally varying phase codes; this allows superior physical level encoding technology. The breadth of this project is wide, covering a free space optic demonstration (large optic at the meter scale) of the encoding system. This was done as a proof-of-principal exercise and to investigate the time varying phase codes (''locks'' and ''keys''). Then a monolithically integrated AWG implemented at the millimeter was investigated. The mono lithically integrated AWG has the same functionality as the table top free space optic but reduced down in size to be easily embedded in fiber optic networks.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15013953
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-TR-202416; TRN: US200803%%1037
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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