An Efficient Approach for Computer Simulation of Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

In optical networks based on wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) are ideal candidates for all-optical signal processing. The simulation of an SOA inserted in an optical system is a relevant task aimed to the realization of computer packages for optical system simulation. We describe the realisation of an SOA simulator based on a novel approach talcing into account longitudinal spatial hole burning without solving partial differential equations or using split-step algorithms.