Abstract

Optical interconnections are a promising method of providing a large input-output bandwidth in high bit rate electronics To be compatible with future CMOS electronic circuits, the devices (modulators or lasers) intended for integrated optical interconnections must be capable of working at low voltages (~1 V) and have short switching times (< 100 ps) Device solutions proposed to date included stacked MQW electroabsorption surface-normal modulators and AIGaAs vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) In both cases, achieving low operating voltages and short switching times simultaneously presents a considerable technical difficulty

© 2000 IEEE