Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025)

Standard Journal Issues

Performance Comparisons Between the Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) and the Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA)

Published 2025-11-03

  • David I. Forsyth
    • ,
  • Kanar R. Tariq
    • ,
  • Ahmed Jamal Abdullah Al-Gburi
    • ,
  • Riyam Alaa Johni

David I. Forsyth
Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology (JTKEK), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Jalan Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia.

Kanar R. Tariq
Software Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, Qaiwan International University, Sulaymaniyah, KRG, Iraq

Ahmed Jamal Abdullah Al-Gburi
Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology (JTKEK), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Jalan Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia

Riyam Alaa Johni
IT Department, Kurdistan Technical Institute, Kurdistan Region (KRG), Iraq

Abstract

This study provides a comprehensive comparison between erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), focusing on their potential suitability for long-haul optical transmission. Using identical configurations and data rates in OptiSystem simulations, performance metrics such as gain, Q-factor, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were systematically analyzed over a wide span of input powers. Saturation analysis revealed that SOAs can achieve comparable or even superior gain to EDFAs under certain operating points. The results indicate that SOAs deliver significantly higher Q-factors before deep saturation occurs, with observed improvements of up to 25 dB at an input level of 11.9 dBm. Similarly, the SNR of SOAs exceeded that of EDFAs by nearly 20 dB under identical conditions. These findings suggest that, when biased in the appropriate regime, SOAs hold strong potential for deployment in next-generation long-haul optical systems.

Keywords

Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA), Erbium-Doped-Fiber-Amplifier (EDFA), Q-factor

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References

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