Optical Switching with Two Symmetrically Coupled SOAs

PABLO A. COSTANZO CASO; MICHAEL GEHL; SERGIO GRANIERI; AZAD SIAHMAKOUN

SPIE

SPIE

Año: 2010 p. 7797031 - 7797037

0277-786X

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;} p.SPIEabstractbodytext, li.SPIEabstractbodytext, div.SPIEabstractbodytext {mso-style-name:"SPIE abstract body text"; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-link:"SPIE abstract body text Char Char"; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm; text-align:justify; text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;} span.SPIEabstractbodytextCharChar {mso-style-name:"SPIE abstract body text Char Char"; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-locked:yes; mso-style-link:"SPIE abstract body text"; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> A novel optical switching technique based on two electrically coupled SOAs (S-SOAD) operating in reverse-bias mode is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The device produces electrical and optical outputs with both non-inverted and inverted hysteresis behavior. The S-SOAD operates on the basis of two optoelectronic effects. The first is an electrical bistability resulting from the connection of two p-i-n structures in series. The second is the quantum-confined Stark effect in the multi-quantum-well structure of the SOA which is responsible for the optical bistability. This effect causes an electro-absorption modulation of the transmitted light based on the switching voltages across the p-i-n structures. Experiments show optical switching at MHz frequencies and rise/fall times lower than 1.1us, limited mainly by the electrical capacitance of the SOAs and the parasitic inductance of the connecting wires. The electrical effects can be mitigated by photonic integrated circuit manufacturing. Predictions of the device performance at high frequencies are based on a proposed hybrid optoelectronic model of the S-SOAD. In this model each SOA is modeled as a set of parallel and series electronic components including optical parameters such as the responsivity and optical transmission of the SOA. System simulations confirm that for capacitance values in tens of femto-Farads the switching-speed increases up to GHz range. Results for the bistability behavior and switching time as a function of the electrical and optical parameters will be presented.