Abstract

We present a complete characterization of reflective electroabsorption modulators (EAMs) monolithically integrated with semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), components that are capable of operating beyond 50 Gb/s in the C-band. The devices are based on GaInAsP multiple quantum wells on InP substrate, leveraging semi-insulating buried heterostructure waveguide definition and butt-joint integration technologies. Different device configurations, based on 80- and 150-μm long EAMs, are fabricated and characterized in both static and dynamic modes. The frequency response of the 80 μm long EAM is still flat at 26.5 GHz (setup upper limit) whereas the 150 μm long EAM exhibits a 3-dB cutoff bandwidth of 23 GHz. A zero-chirp is achieved for EAM reverse bias voltages between −1.2 and –1.5 V depending on the wavelength. Under large-signal modulation, the frequency chirp induced by the shorter EAM is almost half that of the longer EAM, with their respective peak values being +1.5/−2 and +3.2/−3.7 GHz (rising/falling edges) at 1545 nm (−1.3 V bias, 2.6 V voltage swing). We obtained high dynamic extinction ratios of ∼14.5 and ∼8 dB from the longer and the shorter EAMs, respectively, when they are operated at 25 Gb/s using non-return-to-zero coding. Finally, we achieved 12 and 16 km colorless transmissions in the C-band (between 1530 and 1545 nm) over a standard single-mode fiber without equalization using the 150- and the 80 μm EAMs, respectively, with 4.5 and 2.5 dB dispersion penalties at a bit error rate of 10^–3.

10.7 Gb/s reflective electroabsorption modulator monolithically integrated with semiconductor optical amplifier for colorless WDM-PON

Hyun-Soo Kim, Dong Churl Kim, Ki-Soo Kim, Byung-Seok Choi, and O-Kyun Kwon
Opt. Express 18(22) 23324-23330 (2010)

Demonstration of error-free 25Gb/s duobinary transmission using a colourless reflective integrated modulator

Caroline P. Lai, Alan Naughton, Peter Ossieur, Cleitus Antony, David W. Smith, Anna Borghesani, David G. Moodie, Graeme Maxwell, Peter Healey, Alistair Poustie, and Paul D. Townsend
Opt. Express 21(1) 500-507 (2013)

Experimental demonstrations of record high REAM intensity modulator-enabled 19.25Gb/s real-time end-to-end dual-band optical OFDM colorless transmissions over 25km SSMF IMDD systems

Q. W. Zhang, E. Hugues-Salas, R. P. Giddings, M. Wang, and J. M. Tang
Opt. Express 21(7) 9167-9179 (2013)

50 Gb/s hybrid silicon traveling-wave electroabsorption modulator

Yongbo Tang, Hui-Wen Chen, Siddharth Jain, Jonathan D. Peters, Urban Westergren, and John E. Bowers
Opt. Express 19(7) 5811-5816 (2011)

80Gb/s NRZ Ge waveguide electro-absorption modulator

Yufei Liu, Jialinag Sun, Ruogu Song, Xinyu Li, Jinyu Wang, Shuxiao Wang, Yijia Yu, Wencheng Yue, Yan Cai, and Mingbin Yu
Opt. Express 30(19) 34276-34286 (2022)