Semiconductor Optical Amplifier with U-bend Geometry for Simplified Coupling to Silicon Photonics Waveguides

We report a traveling-wave GaAs-based semiconductor optical amplifier operating at $1.3\ \mu m$ with a $U$ -bend waveguide bringing the I/O ports on the same side of the chip. This architecture significantly simplifies hybrid integration and coupling to silicon-on-insulator waveguides.