Widely tunable monolithic dual-mode laser for W-band photonic millimeter-wave generation and all-optical clock recovery

Abstract

We demonstrate a monolithic dual-mode amplified feedback laser for photonic millimeter-wave generation and all-optical clock recovery. Dual-mode lasing with beating frequency around 100 GHz was realized by using a single-mode distributed feedback (DFB) laser with a short feedback cavity that was integrated by simple quantum-well intermixing technology. By tuning the bias currents of the laser sections, the beating-frequency can be continuously tuned from 75 to 109 GHz, almost covering the entire W-band (75-110 GHz). Furthermore, by using this device, an all-optical clock recovery for 100 Gbit/s return-to-zero on-off-keying signal was achieved with a timing jitter of 301 fs.