SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS (SOA)

SOA, short for Semiconductor Optical Amplifier, is a device where the primary purpose is to amplify optical signals through stimulated emission which causes gain to be produced. In the specific case of semiconductor optical amplifiers, the gain is produced through current injection. Its advantage is amplifying the optical intensity of the signal without resorting to converting to electrical signals and back again to optical. Some of the major applications of SOA are:

• LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging):  Useful in autonomous vehicles. The FMCW (Frequency Modulation Continuous Wave) LiDAR with high powered SOA, capable of ranging up to 250m+ in all-weather and direct sunlight conditions, can detect the faintest object at 1310 or 1550nm.

• Communication: 10 to 40kM mobile phone base station and data center at the 1310nm wavelength.

• Tunable Laser: Necessary for amplifying output power for tunable solid-state lasers used in laser radar and remote sensing, as well as medical applications. 

• Spectroscopy: High resolution infrared spectroscopy using high power Gain Chip in an external cavity laser system with narrow linewidth.

The new SemiNex Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) provides a cost-effective and high-performance solution to amplifying single mode lasers for high power applications. SemiNex’s unique epitaxial and waveguide design allows higher gain and saturation output power than our competition.