Stable spatial solitons in semiconductor optical amplifiers

The existence of stable dissipative spatial solitons at low intensities in patterned electrode semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) is predicted theoretically. In contrast to conventional SOAs, this system may support stable solitons because the inherent saturating losses provide subcritical bifurcations for both the plane-wave and,the soliton solution. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.