Numerical simulation of semiconductor optical amplifier assisted Sagnac gate and investigation of its switching characteristics

The switching characteristics of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-assisted Sagnac gate are analyzed in terms of their critical performance parameters for full duty cycle operation from 10 to 40 GHz. Within this frame, the influence of the control pulse width, as well as of the SOA gain recovery time on the switching energy and the contrast ratio, is examined through numerical simulation. The obtained results show that full switching operation at 40 GHz or higher is feasible either by deploying gain recovery reduction techniques in bulk SOAs, or other alternative technologically advanced optical devices, such as quantum-dot SOAs. (C) 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.