Tunable Laser Gain Chips with Thermoelectric Coolers

Wavelength Ranges Centered at 1050, 1220, 1320, 1450, 1550, or 1900 nm
Broadband Tunability
Thermoelectrically Cooled Half-Butterfly Assembly

SAF1174S

CWL = 1320 nm,
SM Fiber

SAF1550P2

CWL = 1550 nm,
PM Fiber

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SAF Gain Chips

Power and Energy Meters

Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers

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Overview
Specs
Graphs
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Item #	ASE Center Wavelength	ASE 3 dB Bandwidth	Peak Gain	Gain Ripple
SAF1175S	1220 nm	80 nm	17 dB	0.5 dB
SAF1174S	1320 nm	80 nm	35 dB	0.35 dB
SAF1450S2	1450 nm	100 nm	20 dB	0.4 dB (Max)
SAF1550S2	1550 nm	80 nm	17 dB	0.6 dB (Max)
SAF1550P2	1550 nm	80 nm	17 dB	0.6 dB (Max)
SAF1900S	1900 nm	150 nm	18 dB	1.5 dB

All values are typical, unless otherwise indicated. Please refer to the Specs tab for more information. The Graphs tab describes the typical performance obtained in an external cavity laser configuration.

Webpage Features
	Clicking this info icon below will open a window that contains item specifications and graphs.

Features

Gain Chips Mounted for Easy Integration into External Cavity Lasers
Half-Butterfly Assembly with Thermoelectric Cooler
AR Coating Eliminates Unwanted Reflections, Increasing Laser Stability, Output Power, and Spectral Quality
1.0 m Long (Min), SM or PM Tight Jacket Pigtail with FC/APC Connector

Thorlabs' family of Single-Angled-Facet (SAF) Gain Chips provides a gain medium for light in wavelength ranges centered at 1220, 1320, 1450, 1550, or 1900 nm. These gain chips feature AR coatings, an angled waveguide, and a proven SOA structure, which gives designers of external cavity lasers (ECLs) the highest power and widest tuning range available on the market. The gain chip is mounted in a half-butterfly package that collimates the output of the normal facet and couples it into an FC/APC connectorized fiber. A thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and thermistor, incorporated into the package and controlled with the easily accessible supplied pins (see the Graphs tab), enable tuning and optimization of the operating temperature.

On certain models, we can optionally provide a PM fiber or an optical isolator for the free-space input. Please contact Tech Support for a quote.

Other SAF Gain Chips: Chip on Submount or Heatsink
1220 nm	1320 nm	1450 nm	1550 / 1590 nm	1650 nm

This link opens a document that contains a comprehensive list of performance specifications and performance plots.

All quoted values are typical, unless otherwise indicated. Please see the gain chip's Spec Sheet (linked below) for the most detailed information on performance. The Graphs tab describes the typical performace obtained in an external cavity laser configuration.

General Specifications
Item #	Spec Sheet	Reference Cavity	CWL^a	Tuning Range^{a, b}	Peak Power^a	Chip Gain^c	Gain Ripple	R₁	R₂	Chip Length
SAF1174S		TLK-L1300R^d	1310 nm	100 nm	50 mW	35 dB	0.35 dB	0.005%	10%^e	2 mm
SAF1550S2		TLK-L1550R^d	1550 nm	120 nm	40 mW	17 dB	0.6 dB (Max)	0.005%	10%^e	1 mm
SAF1550P2		TLK-L1550R^d	1550 nm	120 nm	40 mW	17 dB	0.6 dB (Max)	0.005%	10%^e	1 mm

The values given in the highlighted columns were measured in the specified reference cavity. Different external cavities will produce different performance specifications.
10 dB point.
Single-pass optical gain at center of gain curve.
This item is no longer available for individual purchase.
Refer to the SAF chip reflectivity diagram below.

ASE Specifications
Item #	Center Wavelength (Typ.)	3 dB Bandwidth (Typ.)	ASE Current	Operating Current (Typ.)	Operating Current (Max)
SAF1174S	1320 nm	80 nm	600 mA (Typ.)	500 mA	800 mA
SAF1550S2	1550 nm	80 nm	300 mA (Typ.)	300 mA	600 mA
SAF1550P2	1550 nm	80 nm	300 mA (Typ.)	300 mA	600 mA

Note: The light polarization is horizontal inside the SAF Gain Chips.

SAF Reflectivity Drawing

*R₂ = 10% for all models in the SAF series except the SAF1900S, for which R₂ = 20%.

SAF Gain Chip Lasing Performance Using Littrow Tunable Laser Kit*

The innovative design of an SAF gain chip is ideal for use in external cavity lasers because it virtually eliminates unwanted feedback from the intracavity facet of the gain chip. These devices offer superior performance in a wide variety of external cavity configurations. Given below are typical spectra and details on the packaged devices.

*Our Littrow Tunable Laser Kit has been discontinued.

Item #	Center Wavelength	Power vs. Current	Power Spectrum
SAF1175S	1220 nm
SAF1174S^a	1320 nm
SAF1450S2	1450 nm
SAF1550S2	1550 nm
SAF1550P2	1550 nm
SAF1900S	1900 nm

Please note that the fluctuations in the power spectrum between 1350 and 1380 nm are associated with water vapor absorption.

Basic Littrow Configuration

Fiber-Coupled SAF Gain Chip Drawing

SAF Gain Chip

Posted Comments:

Jin Ahn (posted 2020-11-01 08:40:15.42)

Hello, I am currently using TLK_L1550R in order to tune SAF1550S2 gain chip. However, I am currently having issue with setting 1st order diffraction maximum grating. From the manual on page 11(step12), it mentions that 1st order diffraction maximum can be set up by rotating the grating and locating its strongest diffraction with the included IR viewing card. But what does this visually mean on IR card?

YLohia (posted 2020-11-10 04:12:41.0)

Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. The strongest diffraction would be the beam that produces the brightest spot on the IR card.

JIN Ahn (posted 2020-06-10 00:51:53.45)

Hi, I'm currently using ITC110 in order to control the TEC and laser current for SAF1550S2 gain chip. However, I'm having some issue with the thermistor on the gain chip. From multi-meter, I get open line reading on gain chip thermistor. What could be the problem here?

YLohia (posted 2020-06-10 03:48:02.0)

Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. We are sorry to hear about the issues you are experiencing. This sort of issue usually occurs due to incorrectly wiring the thermistor connections to the temperature controller or a short somewhere in your temperature sensor. I have reached out to you directly to discuss this further.

nick Yang (posted 2020-05-26 22:03:26.033)

Hi, I'm requesting inquiry in terms of operating SAF1550S2. We have noticed that the gain chip's TEC is operated with thermistor. We wanna know the thermistor specs in order to convert resistance value in terms of Celsius. Is there a way that we can get in touch with the thermistor spec sheets?

YLohia (posted 2020-05-27 09:27:30.0)

Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. These SAFs contain a 10 kOhm thermistor with the following Steinhart Coefficients: A: 1.129241E-03; B: 2.341077E-04; C: 8.775468E-08; The theoretical Beta value is 3870 at 25 C.

guillaume.paradis (posted 2018-08-01 12:12:19.907)

Would it be possible to have the angled facet output be pigtailed?

YLohia (posted 2018-08-08 09:00:07.0)

Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. I will reach out to you directly about our custom capabilities.

gksthf666 (posted 2017-04-24 11:50:33.363)

To whom it may concern, Greetings, I'm Hansol Jang and I'd like to get some customized SAF1550S2. Can I get a SAF1550S2 without an integrated isolator? An integrated isolator makes some problems in my research. Also, can I select reflectances of both facet? Best, Hansol Jang

tfrisch (posted 2017-05-02 10:18:26.0)

Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. I will reach out to you directly about our custom capabilities.

tcohen (posted 2013-01-14 13:10:00.0)

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for contacting us! We are currently working on developing a 780nm SAF gain chip, fiber-coupled in a half-butterfly package. It would be feasible to incorporate an optical isolator at this wavelength in the half-butterfly package. We will contact you directly to keep you updated.

jikim (posted 2013-01-08 17:44:46.747)

could you manufacture a TFP780A with a fiber output together with an optical isolator? The optical isolator has small priority, but the fiber output is required. And could you produce a TFP780A with an angled facet at R1? I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Adam (posted 2010-04-09 15:39:09.0)

A response from Adam at Thorlabs: The fiber used in the SAF1176S is SMF-28. We will correct the drawing on the website so it references the correct part number.

user (posted 2010-04-09 14:56:57.0)

The SAF1176S autocad drawing is reffering to a SAF1175 device(1220 nm) with a 1060 fiber. What fiber is used in the SAF1176S?

SAF Gain Chips

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The SAF1175S, SAF1450S2, and SAF1900S will be retired without replacement when stock is depleted. If you require this part for line production, please contact our OEM Team.

Designed for Use in a Littrow Cavity
1.0 m Long (Min), SM or PM Tight Jacket Pigtail with FC/APC Connector

Thorlabs' SAF Gain Chips are designed for use in wavelength ranges centered at 1220, 1320, 1450, 1550, or 1900 nm. The models designed for 1220, 1320, 1450, or 1550 nm (SAF1175S, SAF1174S, SAF1450S2, SAF1550S2, and SAF1550P2) feature an optical isolator on the fiber output, protecting the chip against back reflections and increasing laser stability.

Each SAF Gain Chip is individually burned in and rigorously tested to ensure long-term stability and compliance with our specifications. For typical performance characteristics, please see the Specs tab. A complete test report will come with each serialized gain chip package.

Click the info icon icon below for more detailed performance specifications.

ASE Specifications
Item #	Info	Center Wavelength (Typ.)	3 dB Bandwidth (Typ.)	ASE Current	Operating Current (Typ./Max)
SAF1175S		1220 nm	80 nm	200 mA (Typ.)	200 mA/ -
SAF1174S		1320 nm	80 nm	600 mA (Typ.)	500 mA/800 mA
SAF1450S2		1450 nm	100 nm	500 mA (Max)	-/500 mA
SAF1550S2		1550 nm	80 nm	300 mA (Typ.)	300 mA/600 mA
SAF1550P2		1550 nm	80 nm	300 mA (Typ.)	300 mA/600 mA
SAF1900S		1930 nm	150 nm	400 mA (Typ.)	500 mA/800 mA

Click for Gain Chip Diagram