1.3-μm uncooled DFB lasers with low distortion for CATV application

Abstract

Strained-layer multiquantum-well distributed-feedback (MQW-DFB) lasers at a wavelength of 1.3 /spl mu/m operating from -40/spl deg/C to 85/spl deg/C without any coolers are demonstrated. Extremely low threshold current of 17 mA at 85/spl deg/C and operation current of 37 mA at 5 mW and 85/spl deg/C are obtained. To the best of our knowledge, each of them is the lowest value so far reported in InGaAsP-InP based DFB lasers. The lasers also realize low distortion of less than -50 dBc at 65/spl deg/C in 78-channel composite second order distortion (CSO) measurements. An experimental estimation of the leakage current in buried heterostructure presents that the distortion at high temperatures is mostly dominated by the carrier overflow from an active layer, not by the leakage current flowing through current blocking layers. On the basis of the leakage current analysis, a laser structure including the active layer and the current blocking layer is chosen to achieve low distortion over a wide-temperature-range. The uncooled distributed-feedback (DFB) laser we have developed is very useful for several channel transmission in CATV systems.