SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIER, WAVELENGTH SWEEPING LIGHT SOURCE, DRIVING METHOD THEREOF, AND OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE EQUIPPED WITH THE LIGHT SOURCE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor optical amplifier capable of reducing ripple of Fabry-Perot mode by suppressing an effect of individual difference or ambient temperature.;SOLUTION: In the semiconductor optical amplifier, an active layer is provided in a stacked semiconductor layer, and the light propagated in a waveguide formed in the active layer is amplified by induced emission. The waveguide has branch parts having been branched in a plurality of numbers from the middle of a route for propagating light, and a connection part at which the branch parts having been branched in a plurality of numbers are combined on an end side of the waveguide. The waveguides having been branched in a plurality of numbers are configured to cause an optical path length difference. Because of the optical path length difference, the lights propagating the waveguides interfere with each other when they combined and multiplexed at the connection part, thereby reducing ripple in Fabry-Perot mode.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT