Investigation On Slow Light In Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

In future, it is crucial to develop all-optical signal processing to avoid the limits of electronic bottlenecks. All-optical buffers, as important components of optical packet switching networks, have received much attention in recent years. Slow light effect is promising to realize all-optical buffers and all-optical storages, variable all-optical delay lines using slow light effect attract increasingly due to their extensive potential applications in all-optical switching, optical computing, RF photonics, and so on. The research is supported by the National High Technology Development Program of China (No.2006AA03Z414), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.60407001), and Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of Ministry of Education (No.NCET-04-0715). Theoretical and experimental researches on slow light via four-wave mixing in SOAs are presented in this dissertation. The main contents are listed as follows:(1)All-optical buffering used in all-optical packet switching networks is clarified. Conceptions of slow light and fast light are given,domestic and overseas achievements of slow light are summarized. Conceivableness for all-optical buffer using semiconductor based on slow light is proposed.(2)Based on the carrier density rate equation and optical power propagation equation, both the static, dynamic characteristics of SOA and the ultra-fast nonlinear dynamic characteristics of SOA are simulated theoretically.(3)A theoretical model of SOA for the nearly degenerate four-wave mixing is proposed. The theory of carrier density pulsation in SOA leading to realize slow light and fast light is analyzed by means of the model. The gain, the refraction index of SOA and slow down factor are given when the four-wave mixing takes place.(4)Experimental study of slow light via four-wave mixing in SOAs is presented. Investigation on the delay of the probe light in SOA is carried out and the performance of the delay of the probe light in SOAs is analyzed theoretically. Subsequently, THz-bandwidth tunable slow light in SOAs is also analyzed theoretically.