Patent ID: 7236295

Claim:
A broadband light source comprising: a semiconductor optical amplifier to configured generate and amplify light of a broadband wavelength, said optical amplifier having a first end having an reflectance coating index R 1 and a second end having an reflectance coating index R 2 ; a mirror being spaced from the second end of the semiconductor optical amplifier and being configured to reflect the light, which is provided from the semiconductor optical amplifier, back to the semiconductor optical amplifier, wherein the semiconductor optical amplifier is configured to amplify the light reflected from the mirror and to output the amplified light to the first end of the semiconductor optical amplifier; and a lens system being located between the mirror and the second end of the semiconductor optical amplifier, being configured to collimate the light provided from the semiconductor optical amplifier to the mirror, and being configured to converge the light reflected from the mirror into the second end of the semiconductor optical amplifier.