Monolithic InGaAsP-InP laser amplifier gate switch matrix

An InGaAsP-InP 2*2 laser amplifier gate switch matrix operating at 1.5 mu m with a fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 3 dB is reported. The switch consists of passive waveguides for branching and recombining, monolithically integrated with laser amplifiers. The passive waveguides perform the signal routing, and the amplifiers provide gain/absorption in each path for on/off switching, achieving gain in the on state to compensate the losses. Dry-etched total internal reflection mirrors are employed as 90 degrees waveguide corner mirrors and also incorporated in the splitters in order to give a compact design. The on/off extinction ratio is >45 dB and the crosstalk is <-45 dB.<
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