3D simulation of integrated optoelectronic devices

A three-dimensional (3D) simulation of the photonic components within an integrated optical-electrical-optical wavelength converter is presented. The converter design includes a 50 μm long waveguide photodiode (WPD) which detects the incoming signal at any wavelength of the C band, e.g. at λ_in = 1530 nm. The optical signal is converted into an electrical signal that directly modulates a sampled-grating distributed Bragg-reflector (SGDBR) laser diode which is integrated with a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) for signal enhancement. The SGDBR laser can be tuned to emit at any wavelength of the C band, e.g., at λ_out = 1550 nm. The epitaxial structure of the different components is found to be similar. An offset multi-quantum-well (MQW) active region is grown on top of the waveguide region. A ridge waveguide structure is etched through the MQW region. Passive device sections are formed by etching off the MQWs completely.