Cryophotonics: Experimental Validation of a SOA Model Down to Cryogenic Temperatures

• Published in: IEEE photonics journal Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Franco, Maeva, Kacel, Lydia, Fontenelle, Edwin, Morel, Pascal, Rampone, Thierry, Gardelein, Arnaud, Sharaiha, Ammar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Piscataway IEEE 01.04.2025; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Cryogenic temperature; Cryogenics; Cryophotonics; Effectiveness; Energy levels; Gain; Mathematical models; Optical variables measurement; Physical properties; Power amplifiers; Power generation; Qualitative analysis; Recombination coefficient; Semiconductor device modeling; semiconductor optical amplifier; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Temperature dependence; Temperature distribution; temperature-dependent model
• ISSN: 1943-0655; 1943-0647
• DOI: 10.1109/JPHOT.2025.3532834

Cryophotonics is a promising way of boosting state-of-the-art photonic components using cryogenic temperatures. In this work, in addition to confirm our experimental results with measurements on another component, we present a theoretical analysis of SOA behavior at cryogenic temperatures. Based on the obtained experimental results, we expand the SOA model range by introducing temperature dependence on the main SOA physical parameters such as band gap energy level, recombination coefficients, internal losses and effective electron and holes masses. The model is applicable over a wide temperature range from ambient down to cryogenic temperatures. A qualitative agreement is found between simulations and experiments. The comparisons are given down to 70 K in terms of gain spectrum, saturation output power and noise figure which demonstrate the effectiveness of the model.