Analog modulation of 1.55-um vertical-cavity lasers

Joachim Piprek; Koichi Takiguchi; Alexis Black; Patrick Abraham; Adrian Keating; Volkan Kaman; Sheng Z. Zhang; John Edward Bowers

doi:10.1117/12.347094

29 April 1999 Analog modulation of 1.55-μm vertical-cavity lasers

Joachim Piprek, Koichi Takiguchi, Alexis Black, Patrick Abraham, Adrian Keating, Volkan Kaman, Sheng Z. Zhang, John Edward Bowers

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3627, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers III; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.347094
Event: Optoelectronics '99 - Integrated Optoelectronic Devices, 1999, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

We analyze the performance of InP/GaAs fused 1.55 micrometers vertical-cavity lasers (VCLs) under analog modulation. Our VCLs employ a strain-compensated InGaAsP/InP multi-quantum well (MQW) active region sandwiched between two AlGaAs/GaAs distributed Bragg reflectors. The first AlGaAs layer of the p-doped top mirror is laterally oxidized for optical and electrical confinement. These devices exhibit the lowest threshold current as well as the highest temperature of continuous-wave operation of any electrically pumped long- wavelength VCL. Two different device designs are investigated and compared. Reduction of the MQW barrier strain and enhancement of the optical index guiding by the oxide layer lead to an improvement of VCL performance. However, parasitic effects limit the modulation bandwidth. Higher order harmonic distortion is measured and simulated using a rate equation model. The model includes a non-linear gain function, gain compression, spontaneous emission and Auger recombination as well as carrier density dependent absorption in the quantum wells which reduces the differential gain. The good agreement between measurement and simulation indicates that electron-photon interaction within the quantum wells dominates the non-linear distortion. Multiple higher order response peaks are measured and reproduced by the model.

Citation Download Citation

Joachim Piprek, Koichi Takiguchi, Alexis Black, Patrick Abraham, Adrian Keating, Volkan Kaman, Sheng Z. Zhang, and John Edward Bowers "Analog modulation of 1.55-μm vertical-cavity lasers", Proc. SPIE 3627, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers III, (29 April 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.347094

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