Theoretical Study on Dilute Nitride 1.3 $\mu{\rm m}$ Quantum Well Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers: Incorporation of N Compositional Fluctuations

Abstract

Analysis of the broadband gain of a GaInNAs single quantum well (QW) semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is developed considering the tuneability of the gain in detail. The SOA is analyzed as a single device multiwavelength channel amplifier in a wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) network. The gain model includes the QW material gain derived using a band anti-crossing model and includes quantum dot (QD) fluctuations in the conduction band arising from compositional fluctuations of N within the QW. The material gain is broadened by adding the gain of the QD-like fluctuations and the QW confined level. Simultaneous amplification of two optical signals is analyzed, one at the peak of the QW gain and one at the peak of the QD distribution gain, and the linear and nonlinear regions are established. In addition, multi-channel signal amplification, appropriate for WDM applications, has been modeled across the frequency range of the QW and the QD-like fluctuations and no wavelength degradation between the channels was observed demonstrating the potential of dilute nitride QW as multiwavelength SOAs at optical communications wavelengths.

Efficient and Validated Time Domain Numerical Modeling of Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) and SOA-based Circuits

“…More recently, research has focused on studying the properties of newly introduced active compound materials, such as the GaInNAs. The analysis of the broadband gain of a GaInNAs single quantum-well (QW) SOA that takes into account the tunability of the gain and incorporates quantum dot (QD) fluctuations due to compositional fluctuations of N within the QW is presented by Xiao et al [47]. Finally, III/V-on-SOI bonding processes have also been into design consideration recently, with a comprehensive model presented by Cheung et al [48] providing valuable insight to the design requirements of the optimization process of the structural and material parameters, e.g., the width, composition, and number of quantum wells of a compressively strained In(1x-y)Ga(x)Al(y)As quantum-well active region for emission at approximately 1550 nm.…”

“…The cross-sectional dimensions and the length of the SOA waveguide or the active material can be provided by the fabrication foundry. For the definition of the material properties, extensive literature [45][46][47][48] has been developed on III/V compounds, especially for common compounds such as the InGaAsP-based devices. The initial bandgap energy E g0 when no carriers are injected in the active region can be provided by the quadratic approximation E g0 = e ( a + by + c y 2 ) [31], with e being the electronic charge and y the molar fraction of the Arsenide in the active region, and a, b, and c being the coefficient of the quadratic approximation.…”

Analysis of carrier heating effects in quantum well semiconductor optical amplifiers considering holes’ non-parabolic density of states

“…Due to the potential application in the high-speed optical fiber communication network and all-optical signal processing, there has been a considerable research interest in QW-SOAs (Juodawlkis et al 2009;Huang et al 2011;Sun et al 2013;Qasaimeh 2008;Qin et al 2012). Semiconductor optical amplifiers have many advantages including small size, wide wavelength range and direct current pumping.…”