Document Type

Conference Paper

Journal/Book Title/Conference

SPIE LASE 2026

Volume

13885: Free-Space Laser Communications XXXVIII

Publisher

International Society for Optics and Photonics

Location

San Francisco, CA

Publication Date

3-5-2026

First Page

1

Last Page

4

Abstract

High-power semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are a promising alternative to erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), which typically amplify the weak signals used in free-space optical (FSO) communications. In this work, we demonstrate that an Aura TM SOA operating with 1 W output power can be used to transmit phase-shift key (PSK) protocols required of next-generation FSO communication networks. Firstly, we demonstrate successful transmission of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) for bit rates up to 50 Gbps. Secondly, we demonstrate successful transmission of quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) for bit rates up to 100 Gbps. For both PSK protocols, we demonstrate comparable constellation error-vector magnitude (EVM) values to an off-the-shelf EDFA, and measure zero-bit errors transmitted in 100,000 samples. Parameters of importance to optical communication, such as electro-optical (EO) conversion efficiency, output power and beam quality are presented. Finally, we suggest a path forward based on these results, and discuss suitability for FSO communication applications.

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