Gain dynamics and saturation property of a semiconductor optical amplifier with a carrier reservoir

A model is used to analyze the gain and phase dynamics of a semiconductor optical amplifier with a carrier reservoir (CR-SOA). Coupled rate equations are solved numerically. Due to the fast transition of carriers from the carrier reservoir layer to the active region, the CR-SOA is shown to have faster gain and phase response than a regular SOA. Increasing the injection current will also decrease the response times.