Abstract

Semiconductor optical amplifiers can be used as elements in opto-electronic integrated circuits (OEIC's) where active and passive optical components are integrated on a single semiconductor chip. There are several different roles for optical amplifiers in OEIC's. Specifically, integrated optical amplifiers have been used as power boosters, to compensate for optical coupling and propagation losses in the OEIC, but also in utterly different roles as switching elements in complex optical switches, or as non-linear elements which can provide a convenient medium for frequency conversion.

© 1995 Optical Society of America