Abstract
We propose an efficient scheme of optical pumping and a compact design of an optically-pumped semiconductor optical amplifier (OP-SOA), with gain characteristics which are qualitatively similar to that of conventional (electrically-pumped) SOA. The optical pump is coupled into the ‘active waveguide’ from an adjacent channel waveguide, called ‘pump waveguide’; by suitably tailoring the coupling between the two waveguides, selective transfer of pump power all along the active waveguide can be achieved. We show that optical pumping through the coupled-waveguide configuration is efficient over the existing schemes of optical pumping in semiconductors. The optical pump can be coupled into the pump waveguide through a separate fiber-pigtail, just as the signal is coupled to the active waveguide in commercially available SOA. Thus, the OP-SOA would be a stand-alone 3-port integrated optical device, without any electrical connections. The proposed scheme enables optical-to-optical gain control, in place of the current-controlled gain in conventional SOA. Performance characteristics of the OP-SOA are simulated for an InGaAsP/InP heterostructure device using a well-established model. It is found that for an input optical pump power of 25 dBm at the wavelength of 1310 nm, a small signal gain >30 dB is achieved at the wavelength of 1550 nm.
Highlights
S EMICONDUCTOR optical amplifiers (SOAs) are commonly used as gain medium in optical communication systems and networks
SOAs are biased by a current source through suitable electrode geometry to confine the current into the active region [5]–[7]
To compare the efficiency of the proposed design of the optically-pumped semiconductor optical amplifier (OP-SOA) with an OP-SOA employing the end-pumping scheme, in which the pump is directly coupled into the active-waveguide along with the signal, we carried out simulations for the latter scheme
Summary
S EMICONDUCTOR optical amplifiers (SOAs) are commonly used as gain medium in optical communication systems and networks. Due to the presence of strong optical nonlinearities, SOAs are employed in various optical signal processing operations such as optical logic, wavelength conversion and optical switching [1]–[4]. The integration capability of the SOA makes it a key component in optical functional devices and photonic integrated circuits (PIC) [5], [6]. SOAs are biased by a current source through suitable electrode geometry to confine the current into the active region [5]–[7]. There is a growing need for optically-controlled photonic devices to enable an all-optical platform for signal processing. Manuscript received September 13, 2021; revised October 10, 2021; accepted October 14, 2021. Date of publication October 19, 2021; date of current version November 3, 2021. (Corresponding author: Nithin Vogirala.)
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