Modeling of traveling-wave amplification photodetectors (TAP detectors)

High speed, high efficiency, low noise and high saturation power are the characteristics desired for detectors in high bit-rate long-haul optical communication systems. We present the modeling of Traveling-wave Amplification Photodetectors (TAP detectors). These novel monolithic devices combine optical gain and absorption in a distributed fashion along a traveling-wave structure, providing high-responsivity and high-speed performance, without sacrificing saturation power. We present the models used to simulate the behavior of these devices, as well as their results. We show that TAP detectors have higher saturation power than other detectors with the same bandwidth-efficiency product, at the price of a small noise penalty, which is also calculated. The result is a net increase in the dynamic range.