We have designed and fabricated a compact 4-array integrated SOA module using a novel parallel optical coupling scheme and polarization-insensitive built-in array isolators. We achieved ultra-high On/Off extinction ratio of more than 60 dB and low cross talk of better than -60 dB as well as high-isolation of over 47 dB in wide wavelength ranges. We also developed a wavelength-insensitive parallel optical coupling scheme and an efficient thermal dissipating structure for a 4-array SOA module. We applied these technologies into 4-array SOA module fabrication and demonstrated a uniform optical coupling with the loss variance of 1 dB over the 140-nm wavelength ranges. We also demonstrated simultaneous operation of 300 mA 4 channels with low thermal degradation of the module gain less than 1 dB.

Integration of spot-size converters (SSCs) with semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) that improves chip-fiber optical coupling is inevitable for realizing high performance SOA modules. In this paper SSCs that can be easily integrated with SOAs and have little influence on the polarization sensitivity have been studied. We found that polarization insensitive active width-tapered SSCs can be realized by an optimum waveguide design of tensile-strained bulk structures. The SOA module exhibited large fiber-to-fiber gain (> 19 dB), small polarization sensitivity (< 0.4 dB), high fiber-coupled saturation output power (> +11.7 dBm) and record low module noise figure (< 6.3 dB) for the signal wavelength range of 1530-1560 nm.