Abstract

High-speed external modulators are necessary components for impressing signals onto lightwave carriers used in optical fibers for various transmission applications in telecommunications. III-V semiconductor waveguide electro-optic modulators offer the advantage of monolithic integration, which gives them an edge over lithium niobate modulators. We have used novel laser direct-writing techniques to masklessly define waveguide and electrode structures, and have fabricated an electro-optic polarization modulator in GaAs/AlGaAs. Our modulator exhibits a high extinction ratio and low value of V_π.

© 1992 Optical Society of America