Gain recovery dynamics in semiconductor optical amplifiers with distributed feedback grating under assist light injection

The gain recovery dynamic characteristics of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with distributed feedback (DFB) grating are theoretically investigated. The interaction of the grating structure and the assist light is used to accelerate the gain recovery process in the SOA. The effects of the assist light that is injected into the SOA with DFB structure on the gain recovery dynamics, the steady-state carrier density, and field intensity distributions are analyzed, respectively. Results show that the recovery time in the DFB SOA is successfully reduced by injecting relatively high power assist light, whose wavelength is set at the gain region. Finally, under assist light injection, the effects of DFB grating on the gain recovery process are also discussed. It is shown that the gain recovery in the SOA with DFB grating is faster than that in the SOA without DFB grating. In addition, the coupling factor in the DFB grating structure can be optimized to shorten the gain recovery time. (C) 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).