Ebook: Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

Communications can be broadly defined as the transfer of information from one point to another. In optical fibre communications, this transfer is achieved by using light as the information carrier. There has been an exponential growth in the deployment and capacity of optical fibre communication technologies and networks over the past twenty-five years. This growth has been made possible by the development of new optoelectronic technologies that can be utilised to exploit the enormous potential bandwidth of optical fibre. Today, systems are operational which operate at aggregate bit rates in excess of 100 Gb/s. Such high capacity systems exploit the optical fibre bandwidth by employing wavelength division multiplexing. Optical technology is the dominant carrier of global information. It is also central to the realisation of future networks that will have the capabilities demanded by society. These capabilities include virtually unlimited bandwidth to carry communication services of almost any kind, and full transparency that allows terminal upgrades in capacity and flexible routing of channels. Many of the advances in optical networks have been made possible by the advent of the optical amplifier.

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The semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) has emerged as an important component in many optical fiber communication, switching and signal processing systems. Besides its basic use as an in-line amplifier, SOAs have found use in a myriad of applications. Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers provides a comprehensive and detailed treatment of the design and applications of SOAs.

Key areas covered include:

• Historical background.
• SOA principles - theory of amplification, gain, noise, noise figure, polarisation dependence, spectral bandwidth, dynamics.
• SOA structures - travelling-wave, Fabry-Perot, DBR, DFB, multi-section, twin-guide, polarisation insensitive configurations, low-reflectivity coatings, angled facets, high-power devices, gain clamped devices, SOA packaging.
• Bulk and quantum-well semiconductor materials.
• Static and dynamic modelling - travelling-wave equations, recombination mechanisms, analytical approximations and computer modelling techniques.
• SOA optimisation, slow and fast pulse amplification.
• Applications in optical communication systems - direct detection and coherent receivers, amplified light detection statistics, preamplifier, in-line amplifier, booster amplifier, amplifier chains, SOA based optical network topologies, TDM, WDM, soliton transmission, system experiments, analog systems.
• Non-linear behaviour - cross-gain modulation, self-phase and cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, frequency chirping, bistability.
• Functional applications - intensity modulator, phase modulator, switch, add/drop multiplexer, wavelength converter, in-line detector, dispersion compensator, pulse-shaper, all-optical clock recovery, loop mirror configurations, logic functions.
• SOA photonic integrated circuits.
• Current developments and future prospects.

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The semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) has emerged as an important component in many optical fiber communication, switching and signal processing systems. Besides its basic use as an in-line amplifier, SOAs have found use in a myriad of applications. Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers provides a comprehensive and detailed treatment of the design and applications of SOAs.

Key areas covered include:

• Historical background.
• SOA principles - theory of amplification, gain, noise, noise figure, polarisation dependence, spectral bandwidth, dynamics.
• SOA structures - travelling-wave, Fabry-Perot, DBR, DFB, multi-section, twin-guide, polarisation insensitive configurations, low-reflectivity coatings, angled facets, high-power devices, gain clamped devices, SOA packaging.
• Bulk and quantum-well semiconductor materials.
• Static and dynamic modelling - travelling-wave equations, recombination mechanisms, analytical approximations and computer modelling techniques.
• SOA optimisation, slow and fast pulse amplification.
• Applications in optical communication systems - direct detection and coherent receivers, amplified light detection statistics, preamplifier, in-line amplifier, booster amplifier, amplifier chains, SOA based optical network topologies, TDM, WDM, soliton transmission, system experiments, analog systems.
• Non-linear behaviour - cross-gain modulation, self-phase and cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, frequency chirping, bistability.
• Functional applications - intensity modulator, phase modulator, switch, add/drop multiplexer, wavelength converter, in-line detector, dispersion compensator, pulse-shaper, all-optical clock recovery, loop mirror configurations, logic functions.
• SOA photonic integrated circuits.
• Current developments and future prospects.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Introduction....Pages 1-6
Basic Principles....Pages 7-20
Structures....Pages 21-41
Materials....Pages 43-67
Modelling....Pages 69-95
Basic Network Applications....Pages 97-125
Functional Applications....Pages 127-165
Back Matter....Pages 167-169

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The semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) has emerged as an important component in many optical fiber communication, switching and signal processing systems. Besides its basic use as an in-line amplifier, SOAs have found use in a myriad of applications. Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers provides a comprehensive and detailed treatment of the design and applications of SOAs.

Key areas covered include:

• Historical background.
• SOA principles - theory of amplification, gain, noise, noise figure, polarisation dependence, spectral bandwidth, dynamics.
• SOA structures - travelling-wave, Fabry-Perot, DBR, DFB, multi-section, twin-guide, polarisation insensitive configurations, low-reflectivity coatings, angled facets, high-power devices, gain clamped devices, SOA packaging.
• Bulk and quantum-well semiconductor materials.
• Static and dynamic modelling - travelling-wave equations, recombination mechanisms, analytical approximations and computer modelling techniques.
• SOA optimisation, slow and fast pulse amplification.
• Applications in optical communication systems - direct detection and coherent receivers, amplified light detection statistics, preamplifier, in-line amplifier, booster amplifier, amplifier chains, SOA based optical network topologies, TDM, WDM, soliton transmission, system experiments, analog systems.
• Non-linear behaviour - cross-gain modulation, self-phase and cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, frequency chirping, bistability.
• Functional applications - intensity modulator, phase modulator, switch, add/drop multiplexer, wavelength converter, in-line detector, dispersion compensator, pulse-shaper, all-optical clock recovery, loop mirror configurations, logic functions.
• SOA photonic integrated circuits.
• Current developments and future prospects.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Introduction....Pages 1-6
Basic Principles....Pages 7-20
Structures....Pages 21-41
Materials....Pages 43-67
Modelling....Pages 69-95
Basic Network Applications....Pages 97-125
Functional Applications....Pages 127-165
Back Matter....Pages 167-169
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