Numerical study on a compact all-semiconductor-optical-amplifier Sagnac interferometer device

摘要

The nonlinear switching effect of an all-semiconductor-optical-amplifier Sagnac interferometer is numerically investigated. The device, stemming from the conventional nonlinear optical loop mirror made of fiber, has a much more compact size and a latency several hundred times smaller than the conventional ones. Numerical simulations are conducted for the case of cw signal operation. It is found that the nonlinear coupling in the MMIWA and the lateral field redistribution as well as the amplification of the signal through the loop structure contribute together to the nonlinear switching. Besides investigating the physical mechanism of the device, we vary relevant parameters to evaluate their influences on device performance. The numerical simulations show good agreement in trend with the experimental results.