Title :
Gain saturation in traveling-wave semiconductor optical amplifiers
Author :
Kim, In ; Uppal, Kushant ; Dapkus, P.Daniel
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng.-Electrophys., Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
fDate :
10/1/1998 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The gain saturation behavior of semiconductor traveling-wave optical amplifiers has been analyzed using a model that includes the specific dependence of gain on carrier concentration. Under the condition of a specific gain at a particular current, it is found that the saturation power strongly depends on the choice between quantum well (QW) or bulk amplifying medium but weakly on the detailed design of the device such as the number of QW´s or the thickness of the bulk layer. The higher saturation power of the QW-based amplifier is caused by its logarithmic gain-current relation rather than its low optical confinement factor. Also, when the unsaturated device gain is specified, the designed saturation power can be obtained with the lowest drive current by using the highest optical confinement
Keywords :
carrier density; current density; laser beams; optical saturation; quantum well lasers; semiconductor lasers; travelling wave amplifiers; waveguide lasers; bulk amplifying medium; bulk layer; carrier concentration; drive current; gain; gain saturation; logarithmic gain-current relation; optical confinement; optical confinement factor; quantum well amplifying medium; saturation power; semiconductor traveling-wave optical amplifiers; traveling-wave semiconductor optical amplifiers; unsaturated device gain; Charge carrier density; Current density; Optical amplifiers; Optical devices; Optical saturation; Optical waveguides; Photonics; Quantum well devices; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Stimulated emission;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
