The power dissipation tolerances for InP/ InGaAs uni-travelling-carrier photodiodes (UTC-PDs) and pin-PDs under high power optical inputs are compared. Catastrophic failures occur at constant power dissipations of 240 and 160mW for the UTC-PDs and pin-PDs, respectively. Scanning electron microscope observations confirm that the areas of destruction are located in the high electric-field region in the depletion layer.

This paper describes the recent progress in the device performance of the uni-traveling-carrier photodiode (UTC-PD). The UTC-PD utilizes only electrons as the active carriers and this unique feature is the key to achieving excellent high-speed and high-output characteristics simultaneously. The achieved performance includes a record 3-dB bandwidth (f3dB) of 310 GHz, a high output current over 180 mA with an f3dB of 65 GHz, a high linearity of up to 80 mA, and a zero-bias operation with an f3dB of 230 GHz and an output peak current of 6.8 mA.

We study effects of preamplifier nonlinearity on polarization mode dispersion (PMD) equalization performance of feed-forward equalizer (FFE) electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) IC. We have shown that a nonlinear limiting amplifier can be used as a preamplifier for FFE EDC IC for a 6-dB dynamic range.

This paper reviews the operation, design, and performance of the uni-traveling-carrier-photodiode (UTC-PD). The UTC-PD is a new type of photodiode that uses only electrons as its active carriers and its prime feature is high current operation. A small signal analysis predicts that a UTC-PD can respond to an optical signal as fast as or faster than a pin-PD. A comparison of measured pulse photoresponse data reveals how the saturation mechanisms of the UTC-PD and pin-PD differ. Applications of InP/InGaAs UTC-PDs as optoelectronic drivers are also presented.

A uni-traveling-carrier refracting-facet photodiode, a short-stab bias circuit, and a patch antenna are monolithically integrated to make a compact and low-cost photonic millimeter-wave emitter for fiber-radio applications. The device emits the maximum effective radiation power of 173 dBm at 60 GHz including a directive gain of the patch antenna.