Performance characteristics of buried facet optical amplifiers

The fabrication and performance characteristics of buried-facet optical amplifiers are described. Chip gain of >25 dB, gain ripple of <1 dB, and gain difference of <1 dB for TE and TM polarized light are observed. The gain ripple and polarization dependence of gain correlate well with the ripple and polarization dependence of the amplified spontaneous emission spectrum. Although the performance of buried-facet amplifiers is found to be comparable to that of cleaved facet amplifiers with very good antireflection (R<10/sup -4/) coatings, the buried-facet design reduces the requirement on antireflection coatings and makes the fabrication process more reproducible.<>