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SOA (Semiconductor Optical Amplifier)

Optical Devices for Communication

An SOA (Semiconductor Optical Amplifier) is a semiconductor element that amplifies light. Antireflective processing is applied on both facets of a semiconductor laser to eliminate the resonator structure. When light enters from outside the semiconductor, the light is amplified by stimulated emission. SOA is used for amplifying an optical signal. SOAs are included in the optical transceiver modules used for communication between data centers to amplify the optical signal in the 1.3 um band used for Ethernet communication in order to compensate for transmission loss.

Features

Key capabilities and advantages

  • Suitable as receiver optical amplifiers for long-reach optical transceivers
  • Supports 100GBASE-ER4, 100GBASE-ZR, 400GBASE-LR4, 400GBASE-LR8, and coherent transceiver systems
  • Provides high optical gain for weak-signal detection
  • Low noise figure enabling improved receiver sensitivity
  • Compact, low-power semiconductor design
  • High reliability and telecom-grade stability
  • Compatible with DWDM and high-speed optical communication systems

Specification

Technical specifications and parameters

Type Semiconductor Optical Amplifier
Operating Wavelength 1260–1625 nm (depending on variant)
Polarization Polarization dependent or polarization insensitive (varies by model)
Small Signal Gain 15–25 dB
Saturation Output Power +10 to +17 dBm
Noise Figure 5–8 dB
Input Optical Power –30 to 0 dBm
Modulation Support Compatible with NRZ, PAM4, and coherent signals
Operating Temperature –5°C to +70°C (typical)
Supply Voltage 3.3 V or 5 V (depending on package)
Power Consumption < 1 W (typical)
Package Type Butterfly package or chip-on-carrier
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2026
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