Abstract

High-power, high-speed photodetectors are essential in improving the performance of analog and digital fiber-optic links.^1,2 Velocity-matched distributed photodetectors (VMDP) have shown high-speed, high-power capability.^3,4 In serially fed VMDP’s, exponential photocurrent distribution causes failure of only the first diode of the array and limits the high-power performance.⁵ A uniform distribution of photocurrents through parallel optical feed will help achieve higher linear photocurrents.^6,7 In addition, parallel feed reduces the peak photocurrent by the splitting ratio. The maximum linear photocurrent thus increases with increasing splitting ratio.⁷

© 2002 Optical Society of America