O-Band Booster Optical Amplifiers (BOAs), 1285 - 1350 nm

Polarization-Dependent Booster Optical Amplifiers
SM or PM Fiber-Pigtailed Butterfly Package
High Saturation Power (>15 dBm)

BOA1130S

High-Power BOA with SM Fiber and FC/APC Connectors

BOA1132P

BOA with PM Fiber and FC/APC Connectors, Closeup of Butterfly Package Shown

FC/APC Connectors

Related Items

Other Optical Amplifiers

Compact LD Driver with TEC

Fabry-Perot Lasers

Superluminescent Diodes

O-Band Fiber Amplifier

ESD Wrist Straps

Butterfly Mounts

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Overview
Specs
Pin Diagram
Graphs
Optical Amplifiers
Feedback

Optical Amplifier Selection Guide
780 - 795 nm BOAs
830 nm BOAs
930 nm BOAs
980 nm BOAs
1050 nm BOAs
1210 nm BOAs
1250 nm BOAs
O-Band (1285 - 1350 nm) BOAs
E-Band (1410 nm) BOAs
C-Band (1550 nm) BOAs and SOAs
L-Band (1590 - 1625 nm) BOAs
1685 nm BOAs
1700 nm BOAs

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.

Click to Enlarge
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 Only One Polarization State
Center Wavelengths Available Between 1285 nm and 1350 nm
Available with Either SM or PM Fiber Pigtails (1.5 m)
2.0 mm Narrow Key FC/APC Connectors
2.5 dB Coupling Loss at Each Chip End
High Saturation Power (>15 dBm), High Efficiency
3 dB Bandwidth: 70 nm, 80 nm, 82 nm, or 87 nm (Typical)
AR-Coated End Faces on Chip (R < 0.1%)
Typical Applications: Boosting Laser Transmitters, Compensating for Transmit
MUX/DeMUX Insertion Loss, and Optical Shutters

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. 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 an SOA because of the design features that make the SOA polarization insensitive.

The BOA consists of a highly-efficient InP/InGaAsP Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) layer structure. As seen in Figure 1.1, the input and output of the amplifier is coupled to the reliable ridge waveguide on the optical amplifier chip. Losses typically range from 1.5 to 2.5 dB at both the fiber-to-chip and chip-to-fiber couplings. These coupling losses affect the total gain, noise figure (NF), and saturation power (P_sat). While the gain produced by the amplifier exceeds that of the losses, these losses remain an important factor in determining the device's performance. For instance, a 1 dB drop in input coupling efficiency increases the noise figure by 1 dB. Alternatively, a 1 dB drop in output coupling decreases the saturation power by 1 dB.

The device is contained in a standard 14-pin butterfly package with either SM or PM fiber pigtails that are terminated with FC/APC connectors. The connector key is aligned to the slow axis on all PM fiber pigtailed models. Optional polarization-maintaining isolators at the input, output, or both input/output are also available (specifications may vary with different configurations). Please contact Tech Support to order such a device.

Thorlabs also offers other components suitable for the O-Band, including our high-speed transmitter and receivers and Praseodymium-Doped Fiber Amplifier (PDFA). The PDFA should be used for applications requiring O-band signal transmission amplficiation with low-noise and minimal signal latency.

Click to Enlarge
Figure 1.2 Our BOA1132P optical amplifier is also available in the S9FC1132P benchtop optical amplifier.

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.

Center Wavelength Note
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 Specs tab 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.

Item #^a,b	Center Wavelength	3 dB Bandwidth	Saturated Output Power (@ -3 dB)	Small Signal Gain (@ P_in = -20 dBm)	Noise Figure
BOA1130S and BOA1130P	1285 nm	87 nm	19 dBm	30 dB	7 dB
BOA1310S and BOA1310P	1290 nm^c	82 nm	20.5 dBm^d,e	32 dB	7.0 dB
BOA1132S and BOA1132P	1300 nm	87 nm	17 dBm	30 dB	7 dB
BOA1017S and BOA1017P	1310 nm	70 nm	17 dBm	28 dB	7.0 dB
BOA1036S and BOA1036P	1350 nm	80 nm	15 dBm	23 dB	8 dB

For complete specifications, please view the Specs and Graphs tabs.
All specifications in this table are typical.
This is the center wavelength of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), and is not necessarily the operating wavelength. An operating wavelength of 1312 nm was selected for testing to yield the specified saturated output power.
At the Operating Current
At 1312 nm

Item #	Symbol	BOA1130S and BOA1130P
Item #	Symbol	Min	Typical	Max
Operating Current	I_OP	-	700 mA	750 mA
Center Wavelength	λ_C	1265 nm	1285 nm	1295 nm
Optical 3 dB Bandwidth	BW	80 nm	87 nm	-
Saturation Output Power^a (@ -3 dB)	P_SAT	18 dBm	19 dBm	-
Optical Input Power	P_IN	-	-	70 mW
Small Signal Gain (@ P_in = -20 dBm, λ = 1312 nm)	G	27 dB	30 dB	-
Gain Ripple (RMS) @ I_OP	ΔG	-	0.2 dB	0.3 dB
Noise Figure	NF	-	7 dB	9 dB
Forward Voltage	V_F	-	1.6 V	2.0 V
TEC Operation (Typ./Max @ T_CASE = 25 °C / 70 °C)
TEC Current	I_TEC	-	0.4 A	1.5 A
TEC Voltage	V_TEC	-	0.5 V	4.0 V
Thermistor Resistance	R_TH	-	10 kΩ	-

The maximum amount of CW power that can be extracted is approximately 3 dB higher than the saturation power. Please see the Optical Amplifiers tab for more information.

Item #	Symbol	BOA1310S and BOA1310P
Item #	Symbol	Min	Typical	Max
Operating Current	I_OP	-	900	1000 mA
Center Wavelength^a	λ_C	1275 nm	1290 nm	1305 nm
Optical 3 dB Bandwidth	BW	75 nm	82 nm	-
Saturation Output Power^b (@ -3 dB, I_OP, λ = 1312 nm)	P_SAT	20 dBm	20.5 dBm	-
Optical Input Power	P_IN	-	-	70 mW
Small Signal Gain (@ P_in = -20 dBm, I_OP, λ = 1312 nm)	G	28.5 dB	32 dB	-
Gain Ripple (RMS, @ I_OP)	ΔG	-	0.12 dB	0.35 dB
Noise Figure (@ I_OP, λ = 1312 nm)	NF	-	7.0 dB	9.5 dB
Forward Voltage(@ I_OP)	V_F	-	1.5 V	2.0 V
TEC Operation (Typ./Max @ T_CASE = 25 °C / 70 °C)
TEC Current	I_TEC	-	0.5 A	1.5 A
TEC Voltage	V_TEC	-	0.7 V	4.0 V
Thermistor Resistance	R_TH	-	10 kΩ	-

This is the center wavelength of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), and is not necessarily the operating wavelength. An operating wavelength of 1312 nm was selected
for testing to yield the specified saturated output power (P_SAT).
The maximum amount of CW power that can be extracted is approximately 3 dB higher than the saturation power. Please see the Optical Amplifiers tab for more information.

Item #	Symbol	BOA1132S and BOA1132P
Item #	Symbol	Min	Typical	Max
Operating Current	I_OP	-	700 mA	750 mA
Center Wavelength	λ_C	1290 nm	1300 nm	1315 nm
Optical 3 dB Bandwidth	BW	80 nm	87 nm	-
Saturation Output Power^a (@ -3 dB)	P_SAT	15 dBm	17 dBm	-
Optical Input Power	P_IN	-	-	70 mW
Small Signal Gain (@ P_in = -20 dBm, λ = 1312 nm)	G	27 dB	30 dB	-
Gain Ripple (RMS) @ I_OP	ΔG	-	0.2 dB	0.3 dB
Noise Figure	NF	-	7 dB	9 dB
Forward Voltage	V_F	-	1.6 V	2.0 V
TEC Operation (Typ./Max @ T_CASE = 25 °C / 70 °C)
TEC Current	I_TEC	-	0.4 A	1.5 A
TEC Voltage	V_TEC	-	0.5 V	4.0 V
Thermistor Resistance	R_TH	-	10 kΩ	-

The maximum amount of CW power that can be extracted is approximately 3 dB higher than the saturation power. Please see the Optical Amplifiers tab for more information.

Item #	Symbol	BOA1017S and BOA1017P
Item #	Symbol	Min	Typical	Max
Operating Current	I_OP	-	600 mA	750 mA
Center Wavelength	λ_C	1290 nm	1310 nm	1330 nm
Optical 3 dB Bandwidth	BW	60 nm	70 nm	-
Saturation Output Power^a (@ -3 dB)	P_SAT	15 dBm	17 dBm	-
Optical Input Power	P_IN	-	-	70 mW
Small Signal Gain (@ P_in = -20 dBm, I_OP, λ = 1312 nm)	G	24 dB	28 dB	-
Gain Ripple (RMS) @ I_OP	ΔG	-	0.1 dB	0.25 dB
Polarization Extinction Ratio	PER	-	16 dB	-
Noise Figure	NF	-	7.0 dB	9.0 dB
Forward Voltage	V_F	-	1.4 V	1.6 V
TEC Operation (Typ./Max @ T_CASE = 25 °C / 70 °C)
TEC Current	I_TEC	-	0.15 A	1.5 A
TEC Voltage	V_TEC	-	0.35 V	4.0 V
Thermistor Resistance	R_TH	-	10 kΩ	-

The maximum amount of CW power that can be extracted is approximately 3 dB higher than the saturation power. Please see the Optical Amplifiers tab for more information.

Item #	Symbol	BOA1036S and BOA1036P
Item #	Symbol	Min	Typical	Max
Operating Current	I_OP	-	700 mA	750 mA
Center Wavelength	λ_C	1330 nm	1350 nm	1370 nm
Optical 3 dB Bandwidth	BW	65 nm	80 nm	-
Saturation Output Power^a (@ -3 dB, λ = 1312 nm)	P_SAT	13 dBm	15 dBm	-
Optical Input Power	P_IN	-	-	70 mW
Small Signal Gain (@ P_in = -20 dBm, I_OP, λ = 1312 nm)	G	20 dB	23 dB	-
Gain Ripple (RMS) @ I_OP	ΔG	-	-	0.3 dB
Noise Figure	NF	-	8 dB	11 dB
Forward Voltage	V_F	-	1.6 V	2.0 V
TEC Operation (Typ./Max @ T_CASE = 25 °C / 70 °C)
TEC Current	I_TEC	-	0.4 A	1.5 A
TEC Voltage	V_TEC	-	0.5 V	4.0 V
Thermistor Resistance	R_TH	-	10 kΩ	-

The maximum amount of CW power that can be extracted is approximately 3 dB higher than the saturation power. Please see the Optical Amplifiers tab for more information.

1050 nm BOA Pin Out

Mechanical Drawing and Pin Assignments

Note: All plots illustrate typical performance, and individual units may have slightly different performance, within the parameters outlined on the Specs tab.

BOA1130S and BOA1130P Graphs

The gain vs. output power plot shown below for the BOA1130S and BOA1130P was measured with an operating current of 700 mA and an input wavelength of 1312 nm. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum was also measured at an operating current of 700 mA.

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1130S and BOA1130P Raw Data

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1130S and BOA1130P Raw Data

BOA1310S and BOA1310P Graphs

The gain vs. output power plot swas measured for the BOA1310P optical amplifier with an operating current of 900 mA and an input wavelength of 1312 nm. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum was also measured at an operating current of 900 mA. The BOA1310S shows similar performance (see the Spec Sheet by clicking on the red docs icon below for more information).

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Click for BOA1310S Raw Data
Click for BOA1310P Raw Data

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1310S Raw Data
Click for BOA1310P Raw Data

BOA1132S and BOA1132P Graphs

The gain vs. output power plot shown below for the BOA1132S and BOA1132P was measured with an operating current of 700 mA and an input wavelength of 1312 nm. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum was also measured at an operating current of 700 mA.

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1132S and BOA1132P Raw Data

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1132S and BOA1132P Raw Data

BOA1017P and BOA1017S Graphs

The gain vs. output power plot shown below for the BOA1017P and BOA1017S was measured with an operating current of 600 mA and an input wavelength of 1312 nm. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum was also measured at an operating current of 600 mA.

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1017S and BOA1017P Raw Data

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1017S and BOA1017P Raw Data

BOA1036P and BOA1036S Graphs

The gain vs. output power plot shown below for the BOA1036P and BOA1036S was measured with an operating current of 700 mA and an input wavelength of 1312 nm. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum was also measured at an operating current of 700 mA. Please note: the ripple on the ASE spectrum curve below is due to water absorption during the test and not indicative of the performance of the device.

Click to Enlarge
Click for BOA1036S and BOA1036P Raw Data

Comparison of a SOA to a standard Fabry-Perot Laser Diode

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. The maximum amount of CW power that can be extracted is approximately 3 dB higher than the saturation power.

SOA Linear vs Non-linear Regimes

Posted Comments:

user (posted 2024-09-09 14:07:25.153)

On the provided ASE spectrum graphs the y axis is in dB. Can you clarify the unit and if you are using a specific resolution bandwidth for these measurements? I would expect the y axis to be something like dBm/nm or similar. Thank you!

jpolaris (posted 2024-09-11 03:44:29.0)

Thank you for contacting Thorlabs. The ASE spectrum graphs we provide use a relative dB measurement. Meaning, it is an arbitrary scale. This is because when we take this measurement with an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) there is significant loss when coupling into the instrument. The OSA measurement is in units of dBm. The ASE spectrum graphs that we provide are actually dBm versus wavelength, but you would need to apply an appropriate scale factor that accounts for the OSA loss to find the actual output power from ASE.

Guilherme Garcia (posted 2022-03-23 10:24:54.263)

I am using a BOA1130P - Booster Optical Amplifier. I would like to have a better understanding for the behavior of this component, and was wondering if you could give me directions about the original work published on this area? Like papers published on specialized journals or conferences. Thank you very much Guilherme

jdelia (posted 2022-03-24 01:51:08.0)

Thank you for contacting Thorlabs. I have contacted you directly to recommend some literature for this subject area. Generally, Booster Optical Amplifiers (BOA's) and Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOA'S) are the same, Thorlabs uses the term "BOA" to describe a special case of a SOA that is polarization dependent.

Kenny Wong (posted 2020-04-10 02:01:36.62)

I am looking for a component to amplify the output from my tunable laser (Santec TSL 550) from around 12dBm to above 16dBm. Can your BOA do the job?

YLohia (posted 2020-04-23 12:43:45.0)

Thank you for contacting Thorlabs. What specific wavelength range do you plan on using from your laser for amplification? Are you planning on continuously sweeping through the wavelengths? Or are you planning on discretely stepping through the wavelengths over a long period of time? I had contacted you at the time of your original post with these questions and did not receive a response. If you would like to continue this discussion, please email us at techsupport@thorlabs.com.

Luluzi Lu (posted 2019-11-05 14:14:29.587)

How about the polarization dependent gain？ And do u sell the o-band SOA chip？

YLohia (posted 2019-11-12 12:26:37.0)

Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. What specific BOA are you asking for the PDG of? Unfortunately, we currently do not offer polarization insensitive SOAs in the O-band.

Chih Liu (posted 2019-03-25 16:05:37.4)

Dear Sir, Could you please let me know the spontaneous emission power of the BOA1017S? We are planing to build an system by using this amplifier. Thank you Chih

YLohia (posted 2019-03-28 05:03:49.0)

Hello Chih, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. I have reached out to you directly with a plot of the total ASE power vs drive current.

kkmion (posted 2018-11-28 22:31:19.793)

Can the BOA be driven using CLD1015?

YLohia (posted 2018-11-29 08:50:59.0)

Yes, the BOA can be driven using the CLD1015. This information is given on the Overview tab of this page.

jeffrey.o.white6.civ (posted 2016-05-02 09:02:18.21)

I would like to know how much spontaneous emission comes out when, for example, 4mW is input, and 40mW (or max output) is produced. Do you have any output spectra representative of these devices for a seed in the O-band. Thx. Jeff White

besembeson (posted 2016-05-04 02:53:59.0)

Response from Bweh at Thorlabs USA: For a 700mA drive current, we have a plot for the amplified spontaneous emission spectrum (ASE) under the "Graphs" tab. The gain variation with output power was measured at 1312nm, which is in the O-band.

udaytronic (posted 2016-04-26 07:28:56.21)

Hi, I was looking for maximum input optical power for those amplifiers in the specs. But I don't see them. Could you please let me know where to find or may be you can update them. Thanking you

besembeson (posted 2016-04-26 09:46:56.0)

Response from Bweh at Thorlabs USA: We do specify the saturation power, and the maximum output power that can be extracted from any of these devices is 3dB higher than the saturation power. So you should keep your input power to a maximum level with the amplification factor (which is wavelength and drive current dependent) and saturation power in mind.