Low-Loss, Packaged, 2 x 2 Semiconductor Optical Amplifier Switch

Abstract

Optical switching components based on semiconductor optical amplifiers have been investigated by a number of authors [1-3]. The combination of gain when the amplifier is pumped, and absorption when the amplifier is unpumped, provides the potential for low or zero insertion loss switches with large contrast ratios. In addition, simple switches based on traveling wave optical amplifiers are strictly nonblocking, have wide (~25-50 nm) optical bandwidths, and can be polarization insensitive. In this paper we discuss the performance and novel packaging of a 2x2 semiconductor optical amplifier switch which utilizes an imaging approach for fiber coupling. This switch had an average insertion loss of 4 dB, an optical isolation greater than 40 dB, and a 10-90% rise/fall time of approximately 0.5 ns. Moreover, the use of an imaging approach to fiber attachment may provide a solution for packaging other integrated photonic structures and switching components with multiple input/output waveguides that are too closely spaced to permit direct fiber pigtailing.