Photon Design logoPhoton Design
LinkedIn Contact
PICWave

The Laser Diode, SOA, and Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) Simulator

Download Brochure Request Evaluation
Introduction Features Applications
PICWave

Active Module

For simulation of amplifiers, lasers, modulators and photo-detectors.

The Active Module provides a detailed physical model allowing the simulation of various types of amplifiers (SOAs) and lasers, as well as modulators and photo-detectors. This permits also a large range of laser diode types, including Fabry Perot, DFB,  tuneable and ring lasers.

View Larger Image

Physical Model

The active model includes the following physics:

  • Dynamic SOA/laser gain and spontaneous emission spectra as function of carrier density and temperature - using data imported from Harold or other sources
  • Dynamic QCSE-EAM absorption/refractive index spectrum as function of bias voltage and temperature - using data imported from Harold or other sources
Imported gain curves (green) and fitted gain curves (blue) plotted against wavelength for different carrier densities (a) with a parabolic fitting (b) with our Wide-Band Gain Fitting.
Imported gain curves (green) and fitted gain curves (blue) plotted against wavelength for different carrier densities (a) with a parabolic fitting (b) with our Wide-Band Gain Fitting.

(Left) Blue lines – a parabolic gain fit to the green lines, (right) blue lines – PICWave’s Wide-Band Gain Fitting showing an accurate model over a much wider spectral range, making PICWave ideal for SOA applications.

  • Lorentzian optical phase and intensity noise model
  • Lateral current spreading/leakage in cladding
  • Multiple contacts on active sections
Current density vector plot showing lateral current spreading in a ridge waveguide laser
Current density vector plot showing lateral current spreading in a ridge waveguide laser
  • Carrier diffusion
  • Electrical noise model
  • Travelling wave electrode model
  • Longitudinal hole burning
  • Lateral hole burning
  • Non-linear gain suppression/spectral hole-burning model based on intraband relaxation time
  • Multiple carrier levels with defined interband transition times, allows modelling of e.g. carrier capture-escape between bulk and QWs, or SCH carrier transport time
View Larger Image

PICWave can model the interaction between multiple carrier levels. Here PICWave separately tracks the carrier population in the quantum wells and in the bulk of an InGaAsP laser, taking the capture/escape dynamics into account. This effect causes strong damping of the modulation response of the laser as shown in the graph.

  • Auger processes
  • Thermal effects
  • MQWs
  • Dynamic chirp (due to changes in carrier density)
  • Doping effects on mobility, refractive index and absorption
  • Extensive analysis of the results

Applications