Optical Amplifiers

What are Optical Amplifiers?

Optical amplifiers are instruments that boost optical signals without converting them to electrical signals. This allows to transfer light signals over long distances in communication systems without any degradation in quality. Semiconductor based optical amplifiers called semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) effectively increase the power of optical signals and are used in fiber-optic networks for low-power applications. Special type of SOAs called booster optical amplifiers (BOAs) are designed for high-power use and provide robust amplification.

Characteristics of Optical Amplifiers

The performance of optical amplifiers is determined by following characteristics:

• Gain (dB). This value demonstrates the ratio of the output signal power to the input power. With higher gain value the weak signal is restored better and transmission over long distances is more stable.
• Gain bandwidth (nm). This value shows the effective operating wavelength range.
• Saturation output power (dBm). This value demonstrates the saturation point with the maximum maintained power of the signal. High saturation output power value allows to work with powerful radiation sources.
• Noise figure (NF, dB). Since optical amplifiers have a spontaneous emission which effects on optical amplifiers performance the specific value called NF is used to demonstrate the level of signal-to-noise ratio. With lower NF less signal distortion will occur during long distance transmission.
• Polarization dependence (dB). This value is used to estimate influence of input signal polarization on the gain. With high values signal distortion or interruption can be observed.
• Response time (ns or ps). This time demonstrates how long it takes for optical amplifiers to adjust to the input signal characteristics changes. The faster the response, the higher the network capacity.

Applications of Optical Amplifiers

Optical amplifiers main application is to provide amplification to ensure stronger and clearer optical signals, with high reliability over an extended range, which is suitable for:

• Telecommunication: Optical amplifiers are used to boost signals in fiber-optic networks. SOAs are used in metro and long-haul networks for switching and routing, while BOAs are used for high-power transmission over long distances with signal integrity.
• Optical Sensing: Optical amplifiers are also crucial in optical sensing and LIDAR systems, where they increase signal sensitivity for applications such as environmental monitoring, industrial sensing, and 3D mapping for autonomous vehicles. SOAs are used for signal amplification in advanced data processing utilizing photonic integrated circuits. BOAs, on the other hand, excel in optical test and measurement by boosting signals to ensure precise testing in fiber-optic systems.
• Free-space optical communication: BOAs amplify signals for satellite and ground-to-ground communications, while in Fiber Bragg Grating systems, both SOAs and BOAs improve signal power for structural health monitoring in industries like aerospace and civil engineering. 
• Research and Development: SOAs and BOAs are often used in scientific and research labs to test and develop new optical communication technologies, ensuring that they can handle higher data rates and signal quality.
• Medical Diagnostics: BOAs enhance the signal in medical imaging systems, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), allowing for clearer, high-resolution images of biological tissues.

Key features of Innolume’s Optical Amplifiers

Innolume specializes in the design and manufacture of high-quality semiconductor components for high-speed optical communications and photonic systems. Our company uses its expertise in quantum dots and quantum wells to improve chip performance – increasing performance, reducing noise and ensuring signal stability over a wide spectral range. Innolume's optical amplifiers can be easily integrated into standard and custom equipment due to their compact size, low power consumption and various package options. Here are some key features of our SOAs and BOAs:

• Powerful Signal Amplification: Delivers significant optical gain, ensuring efficient signal boosting for improved system performance.
• Wide Gain Bandwidth: Supports a broad range of gain, making these amplifiers adaptable to various applications and operational needs.
• Flexible Packaging Options: Available in multiple configurations, including 14-pin SOA modules, submounts packages or as bare dies, providing versatile integration solutions.
• Customizable Wavelengths: Offers wavelength selection tailored to specific application requirements, ensuring optimal performance across different systems and industries.

Contact our experts to find the optimal solution for your application and learn more about the benefits of Innolume semiconductor components.