Novel reflective SOA with MMI-loop mirror based on semi-insultating InP

The reflective SOA has been heavily investigated to carry the upstream signal for colorless operation in the user access network. We propose a new method to realize such a reflective SOA modulator by integrating a SOA with a MMI-loop mirror (loop-RSOA). This allows for more flexibility in the design of photonic integrated circuits without additional cost. The first loop-RSOA has been designed and fabricated. The fiber access side of the loopRSOA was left as cleaved. The measurement results show that this loop-RSOA can be operated error free with 1.25 Gbit/s data with 223−1 PRBS word length while the injected optical power is −14 dBm. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the loop-RSOA has been investigated from 12◦C up to 36◦C showing Q factors higher than 6.5 at 1 Gbit/s. Introduction