IEC TR 61292-9:2023

Optical amplifiers - Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)

IEC TR 61292-9:2023 which is a Technical Report, describes the characteristic features of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), including the specific features of gain ripple and polarization dependent gain (PDG). This document focuses on amplifying applications of SOAs. Other applications, such as modulation, switching and non-linear functions, are not covered. Potential applications of SOAs, such as reflective SOAs (RSOAs) for the seeded wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON), are reviewed in Annex A. This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2017. This edition constitutes a technical revision. This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
- revised definitions for SOAs in 3.1;
- added more theoretical background on gain ripple measurements using amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum in 4.3;
- removed the formerly preferred set-up for output power and PDG measurements in Clause 5.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 10-Jan-2023
• ICS: 33.160.10 - Amplifiers
• ICS: 33.180.30 - Optic amplifiers
• Technical Committee: SC 86C - Fibre optic systems and active devices
• Drafting Committee: WG 3 - TC 86/SC 86C/WG 3
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 02-Feb-2023
• Completion Date: 11-Jan-2023

Relations

• Revises: IEC TR 61292-9:2017 - Optical amplifiers - Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC TR 61292-9 ®
Edition 3.0 2023-01
TECHNICAL
REPORT
colour
inside
Optical amplifiers –
Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Secretariat Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

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containing more than 22 300 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and once
and French, with equivalent terms in 19 additional languages.
a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
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If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need
further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].
IEC TR 61292-9 ®
Edition 3.0 2023-01
TECHNICAL
REPORT
colour
inside
Optical amplifiers –
Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 33.160.10; 33.180.30 ISBN 978-2-8322-6344-0

– 2 – IEC TR 61292-9:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and symbols . 7
3.1 Terms and definitions . 7
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 8
3.3 Symbols . 9
4 Specific features of SOAs . 9
4.1 SOA chips . 9
4.2 Gain ripple . 12
4.2.1 General . 12
4.2.2 Theoretical calculation of gain ripple . 14
4.3 Polarization dependent gain (PDG) . 17
4.3.1 General . 17
4.3.2 Polarization insensitive SOAs . 17
4.4 Noise figure (NF) . 18
4.5 Lifetime of carriers . 18
4.6 Nonlinear effects . 18
5 Measurement of SOA output power and PDG . 18
5.1 Narrow-band versus broadband light source . 18
5.2 Examples of measurement results . 19
Annex A (informative) Applications of SOAs . 23
A.1 General . 23
A.2 Polarization mode of SOAs . 23
A.3 Reach extender for GPON . 23
A.4 Pre-amplifier in transceivers for 100 Gbit Ethernet . 23
A.5 Monolithic integration of SOAs . 24
A.6 Reflective SOAs (RSOAs) . 25
Bibliography . 26

Figure 1 – Schematic diagram of the typical SOA chip . 10
Figure 2 – Example of gain dependency of an SOA chip on forward current . 10
Figure 3 – Schematic top view of a typical SOA chip with and without an angled
waveguide structure . 11
Figure 4 – Schematic top view of a typical SOA module . 12
Figure 5 – Schematic diagram of the optical feedback inside the SOA chip . 13
Figure 6 – Schematic diagram of gain ripple . 13
Figure 7 – Illustrated model of a Fabry-Perot type SOA . 14
Figure 8 – Illustrated model of ASE output from an SOA . 15
Figure 9 – SOA output power and PDG dependence on wavelength . 19
Figure 10 – Optical power spectra of three different SOA chips. 20
Figure 11 – Output power and PDG of SOA chip sample 1 as a function of I . 21
F
Figure 12 – Output power and PDG of SOA chip sample 2 as a function of I . 21
F
Figure 13 – Output power and PDG of SOA chip sample 3 as a function of I . 22
F
Figure A.1 – Schematic diagram of the receiver section of SOA-incorporated CFP
transceivers . 24
Figure A.2 – Schematic diagram of the DFB-LDs-array type wavelength tuneable LD . 25
Figure A.3 – Schematic diagram of a seeded WDM-PON system . 25

– 4 – IEC TR 61292-9:2023 © IEC 2023
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS –
Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC TR 61292-9 has been prepared by subcommittee 86C: Fibre optic systems and active
devices, of IEC technical committee 86: Fibre optics. It is a Technical Report.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2017. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) revised definitions for SOAs in 3.1;
b) added more theoretical background on gain ripple measurements using amplified
spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum in 4.3;
c) removed the formerly preferred set-up for output power and PDG measurements in
Clause 5.
The text of this Technical Report is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
86C/1820/DTR 86C/1830/RVDTR
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this Technical Report is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61292 series, published under the general title Optical amplifiers,
can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The "colour inside" logo on the cover page of this document indicates that it
contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding of its
contents. Users should therefore print this document using a colour printer.

– 6 – IEC TR 61292-9:2023 © IEC 2023
INTRODUCTION
Optical amplifiers (OAs) are essential components for fibre optic communication systems,
where they serve as booster amplifiers, in-line amplifiers, and pre-amplifiers. Numerous
standards have been published for OAs (e.g., the IEC 61290 series and IEC 61291 ser
...

IEC TR 61292-9 ®
Edition 3.0 2023-01
REDLINE VERSION
TECHNICAL
REPORT
colour
inside
Optical amplifiers –
Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Secretariat Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC Products & Services Portal - products.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always have
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 300 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and once
and French, with equivalent terms in 19 additional languages.
a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc

If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need
further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].
IEC TR 61292-9 ®
Edition 3.0 2023-01
REDLINE VERSION
TECHNICAL
REPORT
colour
inside
Optical amplifiers –
Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 33.160.10; 33.180.30 ISBN 978-2-8322-6367-9

– 2 – IEC TR 61292-9:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and symbols . 7
3.1 Terms and definitions . 7
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 8
3.3 Symbols . 9
4 Specific features of SOAs . 10
4.1 SOA chips . 10
4.2 Gain ripple . 13
4.2.1 General . 13
4.2.2 Theoretical calculation of gain ripple . 14
4.3 Polarization dependent gain (PDG) . 18
4.3.1 General . 18
4.3.2 Polarization insensitive SOAs . 18
4.4 Noise figure (NF) . 18
4.5 Lifetime of carriers . 19
4.6 Nonlinear effects . 19
5 Measurement of SOA output power and PDG . 19
5.1 Narrow-band versus broadband light source . 19
5.2 Recommended set-up for output power and PDG measurements .
5.2 Examples of measurement results obtained by using the recommended set-
up . 21
Annex A (informative) Applications of SOAs . 26
A.1 General . 26
A.2 Polarization mode of SOAs . 26
A.3 Reach extender for GPON . 26
A.4 Pre-amplifier in transceivers for 100 Gbit Ethernet . 26
A.5 Monolithic integration of SOAs . 27
A.6 Reflective SOAs (RSOAs) . 28
Bibliography . 30

Figure 1 – Schematic diagram of the typical SOA chip . 10
Figure 2 – Example of gain dependency of an SOA chip on forward current . 11
Figure 3 – Schematic top view of a typical SOA chip with and without an angled
waveguide structure . 12
Figure 4 – Schematic top view of a typical SOA module . 13
Figure 5 – Schematic diagram of the optical feedback inside the SOA chip . 13
Figure 6 – Schematic diagram of gain ripple . 14
Figure 7 – Illustrated model of a Fabry-Perot type SOA . 15
Figure 8 – Illustrated model of ASE output from an SOA . 16
Figure 8 – Recommended measurement set-up for optical power and PDG of SOA
modules .
Figure 9 – Recommended measurement set-up for optical power and PDG of SOA
chips .

Figure 9 – SOA output power and PDG dependence on wavelength . 20
Figure 10 – Optical power spectra of three different SOA chips. 22
Figure 11 – Output power and PDG of SOA chip sample 1 as a function of I . 23
F
Figure 12 – Output power and PDG of SOA chip sample 2 as a function of I . 23
F
Figure 13 – Output power and PDG of SOA chip sample 3 as a function of I . 24
F
Figure A.1 – Schematic diagram of the receiver section of SOA-incorporated CFP
transceivers . 27
Figure A.2 – Schematic diagram of the DFB-LDs-array type wavelength tuneable LD . 28
Figure A.3 – Schematic diagram of a seeded WDM-PON system . 29

– 4 – IEC TR 61292-9:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS –
Part 9: Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This redline version of the official IEC Standard allows the user to identify the changes
made to the previous edition IEC TR 61292-9:2017. A vertical bar appears in the margin
wherever a change has been made. Additions are in green text, deletions are in
strikethrough red text.
IEC TR 61292-9 has been prepared by subcommittee 86C: Fibre optic systems and active
devices, of IEC technical committee 86: Fibre optics. It is a Technical Report.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2017. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) revised definitions for SOAs in 3.1;
b) added more theoretical background on gain ripple measurements using amplified
spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum in 4.3;
c) removed the formerly preferred set-up for output power and PDG measurements in
Clause 5.
The text of this Technical Report is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
86C/1820/DTR 86C/1830/RVDTR
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this Technical Report is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61292 series, published under the general title Optical amplifiers,
can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC websi
...