<title>Analog characterization of a Franz-Keldysh electroabsorption modulator monolithically integrated with a DFB laser</title>

Abstract

Electroabsorption modulators (EA) are attractive components for very high speed digital links (up to 40 Gbit/s). The objective of the present work has been to evaluate the analog performance and use of a Franz Keldysh modulator (FK) monolithically integrated with a DFB laser (DFB/FK-modulator) operating at 1550 nm. This DFB/FK-modulator is a combination of a directly modulated laser diode and an external modulator in one chip. The analog performance is therefore depending on both the modulator bias voltage and DFB-laser bias current. The normal optical output characteristic from an EA-modulator has a strongly nonlinear behavior. The modulator described in this paper shows for low bias voltage and/or high laser current a linear bahavior. This linear behavior is mainly due to the hole pile-up effect at the p/i-interface of the modulator. In digital transmission system this hole pile-up effect is a disadvantage, but in an analog transmission system it can be used to achieve better analog performance. Measurements (and simulations) on the DFB/FK-modulator show that its analog performance competes well with direct modulated FP and DFB lasers, especially if the modulator is biased for optimum analog performance.