Simulation and theory for coding of a 2-bit photonic analog-to-digital converter that utilizes semiconductor optical amplifiers

We simulate the coding for a 2-bit photonic analog-to-digital converter (PADC) that utilizes semi-conductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). The SOAs are modeled to have a transfer function which is a mathematical representation of a step function. A theory is also developed to determine the parameters that control the operation of the PADC. In addition, we compare a simulation that utilizes variable-function SOAs with a working PADC prototype built in our lab.