This paper describes short pulse generation at over 40 GHz using monolithic mode-locked lasers integrated with electroabsorption modulators. The electroabsorption modulator using strained-InGaAsP multiquantum wells provides a pulse shortening gate at a high-repetition frequency. Pulse generation around 4 ps has been realized at a repetition frequency of 43. 5 GHz. Pulse compression using a 1. 3 µm single mode fiber is performed and a 0. 87 ps pulse is obtained.

A new device consisting of an optical pulse generation section and pulse coding section monolithically integrated on a single-chip has been developed. The pulse generation section consists of a multiple quantum well (MQW) electroabsorption modulator integrated with an MQW DFB laser. The modulator operates at large-signal modulation and low voltage (from 2 to 3-V DC bias with a 3.2-V peak-to-peak RF signal). The second modulator is operated independently as a pulse encoder. An approximately transform-limited optical pulse train, whose full width at half maximum (FWHM) in the time domain is less than 17-ps and spectral FWHM is 28-GHz, is obtained with a repetition frequency of 10-GHz. Compressive strain is introduced in both InGaAsP quantum wells in order to obtain efficient device characteristics. These include a low threshold current (18-mA) for the laser, and low driving voltage (30-dB for 3-V swing) and high-speed operation (over 12-GHz for a 3-dB bandwidth) for the modulators. Demonstrations show that this new device generates short optical pulses encoded by a pseudo-random signal at a rate of 10 Gbit/s. This is the first time 10 Gbit/s modulation has been achieved with a multi-section electroabsorption modulator/DFB laser integrated light source. This monolithic device is expected to be applied to optical soliton transmitters.

We have developed an InP-based monolithic optical frequency discriminator consisting of a temperature-insensitive optical filter and dual photodiodes. This integrated device detects the optical frequency deviation of the input light as differential photocurrent from the dual photodiodes, and the photocurrent is fedback to the light source for frequency stabilization through a differential amplifier. The FSR and extinction ratio of the filter are 50 GHz and 20 dB. The total opto-electronic conversion efficiency is 40%. In a frequency stabilization experiment using the developed discriminator, the frequency fluctuation of a DFB laser was reduced to less than 10 MHz.

We have developed an InP-based monolithic optical frequency discriminator consisting of a temperature-insensitive optical filter and dual photodiodes. This integrated device detects the optical frequency deviation of the input light as differential photocurrent from the dual photodiodes, and the photocurrent is fedback to the light source for frequency stabilization through a differential amplifier. The FSR and extinction ratio of the filter are 50 GHz and 20 dB. The total opto-electronic conversion efficiency is 40%. In a frequency stabilization experiment using the developed discriminator, the frequency fluctuation of a DFB laser was reduced to less than 10 MHz.

We studied three types of lasers emitting narrow beam divergence of output light: 1) a spot-size converter integrated laser diodes (SS-LDs) with a vertically tapered waveguide, 2) one with a laterally tapered waveguide, and 3) one consisting of a small cross section of active region. We compared them with regard to their performance in coupling efficiency to a cleaved single mode fiber, threshold current, output power, and reliability. Both the spot-size converted integrated lasers with vertically and laterally tapered waveguide repeatedly provided low threshold currents of as low as 6 mA and low coupling loss to the fiber of 1.2 to 2.5 dB in two inch wafer processes. As a result of the aging test, the SS-lasers were predicted to have the same degradation rate as a conventional buried heterostructure laser. The laser having a small cross section of active layer also has low coupling loss and high efficiency up to 85.