1550nm Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers & Reflective SOAs

Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) are electrically pumped semiconductor devices that provide optical gain in a travelling‑wave configuration. They operate similarly to laser diodes but use antireflection (AR) coatings and angled or curved waveguides to suppress cavity feedback. Light is amplified in the singlemode waveguide with strong overlap between the guided mode and the carrier‑injected active region.

 

Typical telecom SOAs operate at O-band (around 1310nm) and C-Band (around 1550nm) and can provide up to ~30 dB gain, limited by ASE and strong gain saturation. Saturation and carrier‑induced refractive index changes also enable nonlinear functions such as wavelength conversion.

 

We offer a broad range of SOAss and reflective SOAs from SemiNex, centred on 1550nm with gain bandwidths of 80nm.

Comparing SOAs with EDFAs

Using an SOA offers a number of key advantages compared to Erbium Doped Fibre Amplifier (EDFA), although there are also limitations:-

• Form factor: SOAs offer chip scale architecture; low cost and easy integration.
• Output power: Output power of SOAs is lower than can be achieved with EDFAs.
• Drive conditions: Low electrical power for SOAs with operating currents up to hundreds of mA; 
• Dynamics: Nanosecond‑scale carrier lifetime → fast gain and phase response.
• Nonlinearities: SOAs exhibit strong SPM and FWM at moderate powers.
• Noise: Higher noise figure than EDFAs.
• Polarisation: SOAs have Polarisation Dependant Gain (PDG), although this can be compensated by system design.
• Modulation: Direct current modulation supports multi Gbit/s data rates.

Reflective SOAs and Gain Chips

Reflective SOAs (RSOAs) use one high reflectivity facet and one AR facet, enabling double‑pass gain. They are widely deployed in WDM‑PON as colourless ONUs, where a downstream CW carrier is remodulated upstream via gain modulation.

 

Semiconductor gain chips, similar in structure, are optimised for external cavity lasers (ECLs) rather than single‑pass amplification.

 

This exciting technology is the foundation for high speed and high data throughput co-packaged optics (CPO); Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits (Si PICs); and External Laser Small Form Factor Pluggable (ELSFP) high density photonic engines in next-generation AI data centre infrastructure and high-performance computing.

 

SemiNex’ high power 1550nm SOA technology is also ideal for Frequency Modulation Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR applications, increasing range to >250m in all weather and lighting conditions. 

 

	Part Number	Type	Waveguide or Fibre	Output Power	Bandwidth (3dB)	Gain	Noise
SemiNex 1280nm to 1595nm SOA & RSOA - Fibre-coupled, chip-on-carrier and chips
	Product Brief: 1280 to 1595nm 14-pin BF package SOAs
	Product Brief: 1280 to 1595nm chip and chip-on-carrier SOAs & RSOAs
1550nm Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers & Reflective SOAs
	14-Pin Butterfly Package
	14BF-287C	SOA	8µm core 900µm, FC/APC	24dBm (1.2A)	80nm	30dB	7dB
	14BF-287C-001	Short Pulse SOA	8µm core 900µm, FC/APC	24dBm (1.2A)	80nm	30dB	7dB
	14BF-291C	Preamplifier SOA	8µm core 900µm, FC/APC	17dBm (500mA)	80nm	15dB	5dB
	Chip-on-Carrier
	COC-285	SOA	2.5mm Curved <0.1% / <0.1%	375mW (1A)	85nm	32dB	7dB
	COC-287C	SOA	2.5mm Tilted Straight <0.1% / <0.1%	390mW (1A)	80nm	33dB (10µW)	7dB
	COC-286	RSOA	4.5mm Curved <0.1% / 98%	200mW (1A)	85nm	~	~
	COC-310	RSOA	1mm Curved <0.1% / 98%	6mW (450mA)	80nm	~	~
	COC-177	4-channel SOA	2.5mm Curved <0.1% / <0.1%	4*350mW (1A)	80nm	35dB	7dB
	COC-179	4-channel RSOA	4.5mm Curved <0.1% / 98%	4*200mW (1A)	80nm	~	~
	Unpackaged Chips
	CHP-287C	SOA	2.5mm Tilted Straight <0.1% / <0.1%	390mW (1A)	80nm	33dB (10µW)	7dB
	CHP-291C	Preamplifier SOA	1.5mm Tilted Straight <0.1% / <0.1%	70mW/18.5dB (0.5A, 5dBm)	80nm	18dB	5dB
	CHP-286	RSOA	4.5mm Curved <0.1% / 98%	200mW (1A)	80nm	~	~
	CHP-310	RSOA	1mm Curved <0.1% / 98%	6mW (450mA)	80nm	~	~

 

For more information on SemiNex' 1550nm SOAs and their full range of SOA and RSOA solutions please Contact Us to discuss your application and learn about the latest developments.