High-speed 1.5- mu m compressively strained multi-quantum well self-aligned constricted mesa DFB lasers

Abstract

A great improvement in the high-speed characteristics for compressively strained multi-quantum-well (MQW) distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers with self-aligned constricted mesa structures is described. Negative wavelength detuning is an important factor in making possible the extraction of potential advantages for the compressively strained MQW DFB lasers. A 17-GHz bandwidth, which is the highest among the 1.5- mu m MQW DFB lasers, is demonstrated. A wavelength chirp width of 0.42 nm at 10 Gb/s is obtained due to a reduced linewidth enhancement factor that has a magnitude of less than 2. Nonlinear damping K factor in a DFB laser with 45-nm negative detuning has drastically decreased to 0.13 ns, about half of that for unstrained MQW lasers. This is mainly due to an enhanced differential gain as large as 6.9*10/sup -12/ m/sup 3//s. The estimated intrinsic maximum bandwidth is 68 GHz. >