The role of input chirp on phase shifters based on slow and fast light effects in semiconductor optical amplifiers.

We experimentally investigate the initial chirp dependence of slow and fast light effects in a semiconductor optical amplifier followed by an optical filter. It is shown that the enhancement of the phase shift due to optical filtering strongly depends on the chirp of the input optical signal. We demonstrate approximately 120 degrees phase delay as well as approximately 170 degrees phase advance at a microwave frequency of 19 GHz for different optimum values of the input chirp. The experimental results are shown to be in good agreement with numerical results based on a four-wave mixing model. Finally, a simple physical explanation based on an analytical perturbative approach is presented.