Chirp reduction of directly modulated semiconductor lasers at 10Gb/s by strong CW light injection

The influence of strong light injection on the reduction of the dynamical linewidth broadening of directly current-modulated semiconductor lasers at high bit rates is theoretically investigated and experimentally verified for 10 Gb/s NRZ pseudorandom modulation with a large current swing of 40 mA pp. Significant chirp reduction and single-mode operation are observed for bulk DFB, quantum well DFB lasers at 10 Gb/s and a weakly coupled bulk DFB laser at 8 Gb/s, so that an improvement of the transmission performance using standard monomode fibers in the 1.55 μm low-loss wavelength region can be achieved for all these laser types, where dispersion otherwise causes severe penalties for long-haul transmission. The properties of injection-locked bulk DFB and quantum well DFB lasers with respect to high bit rate modulation have been systematically studied by the use of the rate equation formalism. A dynamically stable locking range of more than 30 GHz under modulation has been found for both laser types with injection ratios higher than 0.5     

Optimum operation of DFB lasers under chirped pulse transmission

Theoretical calculations together with measurements of the chirping characteristics of DFB lasers have revealed the existence of optimum bias condition for longer transmission distance. Ultimate transmission distances in connection with fibre loss and dispersion are estimated for 1.3 and 1.5 ?m transmission on the basis of experimental device characteristics.     

FSK heterodyne transmission experiments at 560 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s

Optical frequency-shift-keying (FSK) signals are obtained from directly modulated distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor lasers. Experimental studies of the direct frequency modulation (FM) characteristics of the DFB lasers show a nonuniform FM response due to the competing effects of thermal modulation of the laser active region and carrier density modulation. Equalization of the signal current to the laser is employed to produce a flat FM response from 30 kHz to 1 GHz. Optical FSK transmission and heterodyne detection experiments at 560-Mbit/s and 1-Gbit/s are conducted at a wavelength of 1497 nm. Receiver sensitivities of -39 dBm at 560 Mbit/s and -37 dBm at 1 Gbit/s are obtained. Transmission through 100 km of single-mode fiber at 1 Gbit/s is achieved with no degradation in receiver sensitivity.     

Performance of single-electrode 1.5-μm DFB lasers in noncoherentFSK transmission

The author reports the results of an investigation of the performance of single-electrode 1.5-μm DFB (distributed feedback) lasers in 1.7-Gb/s noncoherent frequency-shift-keyed (NC-FSK) transmission. Sixteen commercial laser transmitters were characterized in terms of FSK transmission sensitivity, eye-margin, chromatic dispersion penalty and pattern dependence. Using amplitude-shift-keying (ASK) performance as a baseline, FSK is shown to outperform ASK when dispersion is present, while ASK is slightly better with no dispersion. FSK transmitters with commercial single-electrode DFB lasers are shown to provide an attractive alternative to ASK in dispersion limited systems. The FSK degradations mainly result from an inadequate FM modulation index and a thermal-FM index manifested as a pattern length dependence     

Evaluation of 4-Gbit/s optical fiber transmission distance with direct and external modulation

Transmission characteristics for a recently modulated measured distributed-feedbacked (DFB) laser and an externally modulated DFB laser using a Ti:LiNbO/sub 3/, Mach-Zehnder modulator at 4 Gb/s are discussed. The transmission characteristics are estimated by an advanced eye-pattern analysis method. The maximum measured fiber dispersion with a directly modulated laser is 100 to 140 ps/nm when the chirp power penalty is 1 dB. However, for external modulation, there is no power penalty after transmission over a 2220-ps/nm dispersive fiber. This confirms that external modulation has superior transmission characteristics. The modulation scheme for 4-Gb/s systems in terms of these results is discussed.<>     

Signal-induced noise in fiber-optic links using directly modulatedFabry-Perot and distributed-feedback laser diodes

A quantitative comparison has been made, both theoretically and experimentally, of signal-induced noise in high-frequency, single-mode fiber-optic links using directly modulated multimode (Fabry-Perot) and single-frequency (distributed-feedback, DFB) lasers. It is shown that the common procedure of evaluating the signal-to-noise (S/N) performance in a typical fiber-optic link by treating the various sources of noise as additive quantities that are independent of the modulation signal is inadequate. This is due to the presence of signal-induced noise, which concentrates at low frequencies, so that a casual observation might lead to the erroneous conclusion that it is of no relevance to high-frequency transmission systems. It is shown that, for Fabry-Perot lasers, signal-induced noise arising from translation of low-frequency noise to high frequencies causes significant degradation in S/N performance in transmission of 6-GHz signals over only 1 km of single-mode fiber. With DFB lasers, signal-induced noise due to interferometric phase arrow intensity conversion is present, but does not become significant even for transmission at 10 GHz up to 20 km     

Chirp compensation in mode-locked DFB laser diodes with extendedcavity

The spectro-temporal behavior of actively mode-locked fiber-external-cavity DFB lasers at 1.55 μm is analyzed in detail. Experiments are performed with multiquantum-well InGaAsP lasers of different lengths and different phase-amplitude coupling factors. Transform-limited picosecond pulses are generated with pulsewidth adjustable over half a decade by changing the RF conditions and the device length. As in the case of conventional laser diodes with external grating, the smallest time-bandwidth products are obtained for modulation frequencies to the high-frequency side of the mode-locking band. This result is presently described in terms of chirp compensation by the DFB cavity dispersion. An analytical expression of the pulse compressibility is established from a steady-state mode-locking equation including refractive index variations and cavity dispersion effects. Gain parameters entering the expression are separately evaluated from standard rate equations. A good agreement is found between experimental and theoretical results     

Narrow-linewidth strained-layer 1.5 mu m multiquantum well distributed feedback lasers

The performance characteristics of narrow-linewidth strained-layer 1.5 mu m multi-quantum-well distributed feedback (MQW-DFB) lasers are presented. Measured linewidth as low as 3.5 MHz has been observed for one of the 250 mu m long devices at 14.4 mW output. Under 1.7 Gbit/s 1.0, 1.0, . . . pattern signal modulation, the lasers have 20 dB down full width chirp in the range of 5-6 AA for the off state at 0.8 I/sub th/. The chirp widths are about half of those of bulk-active DFB lasers. A 1.7 Gbit/s amplitude-shift-keying transmission experiment using one of the low-chirp lasers has been demonstrated. The transmission over 60 km of standard fibre only result in a 0.8 dB dispersion power penalty and has a receiver sensitivity of -36.2 dBm at BER=10/sup -9/.<>     

High external feedback resistance of laterally loss-coupled distributed feedback quantum dot semiconductor lasers

External optical feedback effects on quantum dot (QD) laterally loss-coupled (LLC) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are reported for the first time in this letter. The critical external feedback ratio that causes coherence collapse of the QD DFB is measured to be -14 dB. No spectral broadening at this feedback level is observed within the 0.06-nm resolution of the optical spectrum analyzer (OSA). Self-homodyne measurements also confirm that the rebroadened linewidth of the QD DFB under -14-dB feedback is still much smaller than the feedback-free linewidth. Under 2.5-Gb/s modulation, eye-diagram measurements show that the signal-to-noise ratio starts to degrade at a feedback ratio of -30 dB in the QD LLC-DFB, about 20 dB higher than a typical quantum-well DFB at the same output power and extinction ratio.     

Measurement of mode partition in DFB lasers

Some DFB (distributed feedback) laser diodes have a satellite mode beside a main DFB mode even if FP modes are suppressed. In this paper, the mode partition noise is presented for several DFB lasers operating in multilongitudinal modes. The results show that under modulation at 140 Mbit/s, the mode partition coefficient k²of multimode DFB lasers is very small and at most 0.02 while that of FP lasers biased at the threshold level is 0.03 to 0.12. The numerical evaluation of the mode partition effect in two-mode DFB lasers suggests that a 20- dB suppression of the satellite mode power is enough to achieve a repeater spacing of over 100 km in the 280 Mbit/s fiber-optic transmission system with less than 0.1-dB power penalty.     

High frequency characteristics of InAs/GaInAs quantum dotdistributed feedback lasers emitting at 1.3 μm

The high frequency properties of InAs/GaInAs quantum dot distributed feedback (DFB) lasers emitting at 1.3 μm have been examined. The lasers display a small static linewidth of 1.3 MHz and a chirp as low as 83 MHz/mA. More than 5 GHz small-signal modulation bandwidth was observed in the first devices indicating the potential for high-speed operation of quantum dot lasers     

Semiconductor lasers versus external modulators: a comparison ofnonlinear distortion for lightwave subcarrier CATV applications

Second- and third-order distortion measurements performed on various buried-heterostructure InGaAsP DFB (distributed feedback) lasers and on LiNbO₃ external modulators are discussed. It is shown that by optimally biasing the external modulator, the second-order distortion can be eliminated but the third-order distortion is 25 dB greater than that of direct modulation. It is also shown that these discrete two-tone measurements can be used to predict the system performance of a 42-channel CATV trunk system. The increased composite-triple beat and lower carrier-to-noise ratio, due to modulator loss, are the disadvantages of the external modulator. If it is possible to improve third-order distortion by modifying the structure of the modulator or by electronic compensation without increasing the second-order distortion, then these modulators may be useful for CATV applications     

Performance characteristics of buried facet quarter-wave shifted distributed feedback lasers

The performance characteristics of quarter-wave shifted GaInAsP distributed feedback lasers emitting near 1.3 mu m are described. The quarter-wave shifted grating is fabricated on a substrate using the double-exposure holographic technique. The low reflectivity required for this quarter-wave shifted DFB laser is obtained using buried facets at both ends of the laser. The lasers have threshold current of 30 mA, quantum efficiency of 0.18 mW/mA/facet, bandwidth of 11.5 GHz at 10 mW and 10 dB chirp width of 2.5 AA under 40 mA modulation current at 5 Gbit/s.<>     

啁啾管理调制格式在高速接入网中传输分析

物联网、虚拟现实及人工智能等技术的发展加大了对光纤接入无源光网络带宽的需求,其中调制器成为制约无源光网络带宽的关键因素。结合了直接调制激光器和外调制器各自优势的啁啾管理激光器以产生结构简单、便于集成等特点受到了广泛关注。采用耦合速率方程理论研究了啁啾管理激光器的动力学特性,分析了40 Gbit/s啁啾管理调制格式的产生原理及时频域特性,并在高速无色散补偿接入网中与由外调制器产生的40 Gbit/s非归零调制格式进行了性能对比。结果表明,带宽为48.5 GHz的40 Gbit/s啁啾管理调制格式在1 dB灵敏度代价下所对应的色散容限为215 ps/nm,与非归零调制格式相比其无色散补偿传输距离增加了1.6倍,表现出了强的抗色散能力,在高速接入网中也体现了较高的应用价值。相关结果可为实际系统设计提供理论参考。     

85°C investigation of uncooled 10-Gb/s directly modulatedInGaAsP RWG GC-DFB lasers

The 10-Gb/s directly modulated performance of InGaAsP ridge waveguide (RWG) gain coupled (GC) DFB lasers is investigated up to 85°C. At room temperature, devices have relaxation oscillation frequencies f_relax greater than 20 GHz and damping Γ greater than 100 GHz, f_relax is greater than 6 GHz at 85°C. Constant output power or extinction ratio are possible from 25°C to 75°C chip temperature, with open eyes observable up to 85°C. Back-to-back transmission measurements in a Nortel Networks OC-192 system show error free transmission of a 2²³-1 pseudorandom bit sequence at 83°C     

Uncooled 25 Gbit/s direct modulation of semi-insulating buried-heterostructure 1.3 μm AlGaInAs quantum-well DFB lasers

Uncooled 25 Gbit/s direct modulation of 1.3 mum DFB lasers is demonstrated. The 150 mum-long semi-insulating buried-heterostructure AIGalnAs quantum-well DFB lasers show clear eye-openings with dynamic extinction ratio of 5 dB up to 70degC. 13 km singlemode-fibre transmission experiments using the devices show low power penalty within 1.3 dB between 25 and 70degC. These characteristics are the first achievement by 1.3 mum directly modulated lasers.     

Efficient optical harmonic converter with 1.5 μm MQW DFB VUGlaser for millimetre wave radio applications

An investigation into harmonic conversion showed that 1.5 μm MQW DFB lasers are very attractive for efficient millimetre wave generation. The generation of 38 GHz with a signal to noise (S/B) better than 50 dB and an output power of more than -31 dBm has been achieved with a modulation power of only 15 dBm at a frequency of 7.6 GHz     

Passive FM locking and pulse generation from 980-nmstrained-quantum-well Fabry-Perot lasers

Multiple-order passive frequency modulation (FM) locking in 980-nm lasers has been measured using autocorrelation and optical spectra. Optical fiber dispersion provided a simple means of converting the coherent FM output to an amplitude modulation (AM) pulse train at multiples of the laser round-trip frequency. We have produced such pulses at frequencies of up to 233 GHz from a single source with no external modulation. Extension of this technique should be possible with 1550-nm lasers     

Effects of Zn doping on modulation bandwidth of 1.55 mu m InGaAs/InGaAsP multiquantum well DFB lasers

Experimental results are presented that confirm that Zn doping the active region of multiquantum well DFB lasers enhances their modulation bandwidth. This is achieved by reducing both the damping and low frequency rolloff associated with carrier transport. A maximum CW bandwidth of 17 GHz at 20 degrees C is reported.<>     

Complex-coupled λ/4-shifted DFB lasers with a flat FMresponse from 10 kHz to 17 GHz

Semiconductor lasers with a flat FM response are required for coherent FSK transmission systems. A complex-coupled λ/4-shifted DFB laser is described that gives a flat FM response from 10 kHz to I7 GHz at 15 mW, achieved by using the self-suppressing mechanism of the spatial hole-burning effect