Gain medium structure for semiconductor optical amplifier with high saturation power

Abstract

A gain medium for semiconductor optical amplifier in high-power operation includes a substrate with n-type doping; a lower clad layer formed overlying the substrate; a lower optical confinement stack overlying the lower clad layer; an active layer comprising a multi-quantum-well heterostructure with multiple well layers characterized by about 0.8% to 1.2% compressive strain respectively separated by multiple barrier layers characterized by about −0.1% to −0.5% tensile strain. The active layer overlays the lower optical confinement stack. The gain medium further includes an upper optical confinement stack overlying the active layer, the upper optical confinement stack being set thinner than the lower optical confinement stack; an upper clad layer overlying the upper optical confinement stack; and a p-type contact layer overlying the upper clad layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.