Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) have been widely used in communications systems for decades, in a multitude of capacities. In their simplest form SOAs offer cost effective linear amplification at a variety of wavelengths, simultaneously covering a large gain bandwidth, with the added benefit of practical photonic integration. They are electrically pumped and have good thermal stability, all packaged within a very small volume. In addition to this, SOAs can be operated as non-linear entities under saturation, with the capability to perform alloptical functional duties over a range of configurations and data rates far beyond the realm of commercial high-speed electronics currently used for signal processing. These latter attributes are becoming ever more important as our appetite for digital information drives bandwidth consumption to greater heights. TARA (Trinity’s Access to Research Archive) has a robust takedown policy. Please contact us if you have any concerns: rssadmin@tcd.ie