采用集成了半导体光放大器(SOA)的马赫一曾德尔干涉仪(MZI)测量短泵浦脉冲调制下的SOA的线宽增强因子,分析短泵浦脉冲作用下的线宽增强因子的时分变化特性以及影响线宽增强因子的物理机制。结果显示,SOA的线宽增强因子受到超快动力学过程的影响,呈现明显的时分变化特性,在载流子超快恢复过程中,线宽增强因子值在0.0~2.4之间;而在慢的载流子恢复过程中,其值从4.5~7.0之间。分析线宽因子变化过程发现,在脉宽为2ps的泵浦光作用下,相位变化滞后增益变化约0.5ps。研究结果有助于深入理解SOA在超快工作条件下的非线性相移的恢复速度及频率啁啾特性,对基于SOA的超高速光信号处理有重要意义。
Time-resolved linewidth enhancement factors (a-factors) induced by short pump pulses are measured in pump-probe experiment using an integrated semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI). Time variation characteristics of a-factors and the related physical mechanisms are investigated. The results show that the a-factors are greatly influenced by ultra fast carrier dynamics. The α-factors vary within a range from 0 to 2. 4 in ultrafast carrier recovery process. However,the s-factors gradually increase from 4.5 to 7 in slow carrier recovery process. In ad- dition,0. 5 ps delay is found between phase dynamics and gain dynamics under 2 ps pump pulse injection. The experimental results can be applied to research the recovery speed of nonlinear phase shift and the chirp of SOA in ultrafast operation,and therefore are useful for SOA-based ultrafast optical signal pro- cessing.