Booster Optical Amplifiers (BOAs), 930 nm

The center wavelength of a BOA can be readily tailored for specific applications. It is quite common to adjust the BOA wavelength spectrum to match the specific laser source. Please contact us if you have custom wavelength requirements for pilot-projects or OEM applications.

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Figure 1.1  When current is applied across the ridge waveguide, excited state electrons are stimulated by input light, leading to photon replication and signal gain.

Features

• Polarization Dependent: Amplifies One Polarization State
• 1.5 m Long, SM or PM Fiber Pigtails with FC/APC Connectors
• Small Signal Gain: 30 dB @ 935 nm (Typical)
• Saturation Output Power: 14 dBm @ 935 nm (Typical)
• 3 dB Bandwidth: 37 nm (Typical)
• Each End Face of the Semiconductor is AR Coated (R < 0.1%) to Prevent Lasing

Booster Optical Amplifiers (BOAs) are single-pass, traveling-wave amplifiers that perform well with both monochromatic and multi-wavelength signals. Since BOAs only amplify one state of polarization, they are best suited for applications where the input polarization of the light is known. Each BOA consists of a highly efficient GaAs Quantum Well (QW) layer structure, which is designed for amplifying polarized optical signals around 930 nm and is also an ideal gain medium for implementing wide-bandwidth tunable lasers.

As seen in Figure 1.1, the input and output of the amplifier are coupled to the active layer of the ridge waveguide on the optical amplifier chip. The device is contained in a standard 14-pin butterfly package, with either single mode or polarization-maintaining fiber pigtails that are terminated with FC/APC connectors. The BOA930S uses single-mode, non-polarization-maintaining 780HP fiber, while the BOA930P uses polarization-maintaining PM780-HP fiber with the connector key aligned to the slow axis. An integrated thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and thermistor allow these BOAs to be temperature controlled, thus stabilizing the gain and the spectrum.

For additional details concerning the construction and operating parameters of our BOAs, please see the Optical Amplifiers tab.

Mount and Driver Options
These butterfly packages are compatible with the CLD1015 laser diode mount with integrated controller and TEC. When operating the BOAs on this page with the CLD1015, the orientation for type 1 pin configurations should be used. They are also compatible with the LM14TS and LM14S2 mounts, which can be used with our laser diode, TEC, and combined current/TEC controllers. When operating these lasers in environments with more than 5 °C variation in temperature, we recommend using the LM14TS mount, which provides active control of the butterfly package's case temperature to stabilize the amplifier's output wavelength and power.

ASE Center Wavelength
The center wavelength (CWL) of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum in broadband semiconductor devices, such as optical amplifiers, may show variation between lots. Please refer to the blue icons () in Table 1.2 for the CWL tolerances of each particular model. For applications in which a specific ASE center wavelength is a critical concern, please contact Tech Support for information on the CWL of currently available lots.

Table 1.2  Specifications
Item #a	Info	ASE Center Wavelength	Operating Current (Max)	3 dB Bandwidth	Saturation Output Power (@ -3 dB)b,c	Small Signal Gain (@ Pin = -20 dBm)b,c	Noise Figureb,c	Fiber Type
BOA930S		935 nm	425 mA	37 nm	14 dBm	30 dB	8.5 dB	780HP
BOA930P								PM780-HP

• All specifications are typical unless otherwise noted.
• Measured at 935 nm
• Measured at the Operating Current

Booster optical amplifiers (BOAs) and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are single-pass, traveling-wave amplifiers that perform well with both monochromatic and multi-wavelength signals. Since BOAs only amplify one state of polarization, they are best suited for applications where the input polarization of the light is known. For applications where the input polarization is unknown or fluctuates, a Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) is required. However, the gain, noise, bandwidth, and saturation power specifications of a BOA are superior to that of a SOA because of the design features that make the SOA polarization insensitive.

BOAs and SOAs are similar in design to Fabry-Perot Laser Diodes, the difference being that Fabry-Perot laser diodes have reflective coatings on both end faces of the semiconductor chip. The optical feedback from the reflective end faces establishes a cavity in which lasing can occur. SOAs and BOAs have an anti-reflection (AR) coating on both end faces of the semiconductor chip. The AR coatings limit the optical feedback into the chip so that lasing does not occur.

As is typical for all amplifiers, BOAs/SOAs operate in two regimes: a linear, flat, constant gain regime and a non-linear, saturated output regime. When used to amplify a modulated signal, the linear regime is typically used to eliminate pattern-dependent distortion, multi-channel cross-talk, and transient response issues common to EDFAs. The non-linear regime is used to take advantage of the highly non-linear attributes of the semiconductor gain medium (cross-gain modulation, cross phase modulation) to perform wavelength conversion, optical 3R regeneration, header recognition, and other high-speed optical signal processing functions.

For a continuous wave input signal, the amount of power that can be produced by the amplifier is determined by the saturation output power (P_sat) parameter. P_sat is defined as the output power at which the small-signal gain has been compressed by 3 dB. Typically, the maximum amount of CW power than can be extracted is approximately 3 dB higher than the saturation power. Note that BOA930S and BOA930P amplifiers' maximum power ratings are lower than what would be estimated using this rule; the absolute maximum power provided on the specification sheets should not be exceeded to ensure reliable device operation.