Title :
Finite-difference time-domain analysis and experimental examination of the performance of a coupled-cavity MQW laser/active waveguide at 1.54 μm
Author :
Yuan, Y. ; Jambunathan, R. ; Singh, Jasprit ; Bhattacharya, Pallab
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI, USA
fDate :
3/1/1997 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The performance characteristics of a coupled cavity InGaAsP-InP MQW laser/active waveguide made by one-step epitaxy and well-controlled reactive ion etching (RIE) have been theoretically analyzed and experimentally determined. A theoretical model based on a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique was used to simulate the propagation of an optical wave launched in the coupled system and determine the reflectivity of the facets created by RIE. The calculated effective reflectivity of the coupling region consisting of two facets and an air gap is between 0.45 and 0.55, which is in good agreement with the experimentally measured value of 0.5. The reflectivity of a single etched mirror derived from this value is estimated to be 0.3. A 120-μm-long monolithically integrated active waveguide when biased as a modulator and excited by the laser shows a maximum extinction ratio of 8 dB and a modulation bandwidth ⩾14 GHz at a dc bias of -0.5 V with a bias swing of 2 V
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; electro-optical modulation; finite difference time-domain analysis; gallium arsenide; gallium compounds; indium compounds; integrated optics; integrated optoelectronics; laser cavity resonators; laser theory; optical couplers; quantum well lasers; reflectivity; semiconductor device models; sputter etching; waveguide lasers; 0.5 V; 120 mum; 14 GHz; 2 V; InGaAsP-InP; InGaAsP-InP MQW laser; active waveguide; air gap; bias swing; calculated effective reflectivity; coupled system; coupled-cavity MQW laser/active waveguide; coupling region; dc bias; electro optical modulator; finite-difference time-domain analysis; finite-difference time-domain technique; modulation bandwidth; monolithically integrated active waveguide; one-step epitaxy; optical wave propagation; performance characteristics; reflectivity; single etched mirror; theoretical model; well-controlled reactive ion etching; Etching; Finite difference methods; Laser modes; Laser theory; Optical coupling; Optical waveguides; Quantum well devices; Reflectivity; Time domain analysis; Waveguide lasers;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
