Principles of Semiconductor Optical Amplifier Technology
A semiconductor optical amplifier is an optical amplifier based on a semiconductor gain medium. It is essentially like a fiber-coupled laser diode where the end mirrors have been replaced by anti-reflection coatings; a tilted waveguide can be used to further reduce the end. Both the carrier lifetime (effective) and the optical signal power relative to gain saturation can change as a function of z!Owing to advances in fabrication technology and device design, semiconductor opti-cal amplifiers (SOAs) are evolving as a promising candidate for future optical coherent communication links. This review article focuses on the fundamentals and broad appli-cations of SOAs, specifically for optical. When forward-biased, carriers (electrons and holes) are injected into the active region, creating population.
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