Novel Optical Coupling Technique for Enhancing the Performance of Integrated 8-Input/1-Output SOA Gate-Switch Module

We developed 8-input/1-output (8:1) optical gate- switch module that is compact and reliable by proposing and developing a novel lens coupling scheme suitable for an 8:1 integrated SOA device for a multigate semiconductor optical amplifier (MG-SOA) switch system. We first designed special lenses that collect the tilted SOA beams and simultaneously magnify the pitch and beam size, and we fabricated a highly reliable optical module with hermetic sealing and laser-welded joints. The module exhibits low-loss coupling (~ 3.1 dB), high channel crosstalk (~ - 50 dB), high extinction ratio (>81 dB), and high-speed switching (~ 2.5 ns), confirming that this module is applicable to MG-SOA switching systems.