780nm SOA Laser Diode

Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), including booster optical amplifiers (BOAs), are amplifiers that use semiconductors as the gain medium. They have a structure similar to Fabry-Pérot laser diodes but incorporate anti-reflection design elements at their facets. Recent designs feature anti-reflection coatings, tilted waveguides, and window regions, which can reduce facet reflections to below 0.001%. Since this causes the power loss in the cavity to exceed the gain, it prevents the amplifier from functioning as a laser.