1.55 μm High Speed Partly Gain-Coupled DFB Lasers with Periodically Etched Strained-Layer Quantum Wells

Abstract

The high speed performance of partly gain-coupled (GC) DFB lasers consisting of periodically etched strained-layer quantum wells (QW's) is reviewed with comparisons to the equivalent index-coupled (IC) DFB lasers with the same active layers. It is shown that the GC DFB laser has a –3 dB modulation bandwidth of 22 GHz at 10 mW with a stable single mode oscillation at the longer side of the Bragg Stop-band due to in-phase gain coupling. A theoretical analysis is also presented based on the local-normal-mode transfer-matrix laser model which takes into account both the longitudinal distribution of laser parameters and carrier transport effects. The mechanism for high modulation bandwidth of the GC DFB laser is attributed to a higher differential gain due to a reduced carrier transport time which is provided by an effecient carrier injection from the longitudinal etched interface of the QW's.