InP/GaInAsP phase-shifted Mach-Zehnder modulator for wavelength-independent (1530-1560 nm) performance in 10 Gbit/s transmission over dispersive fiber

Mach-Zehnder modulators are attractive components for high-bit-rate data transmission over standard dispersive fiber because they allow for the adjustment of the value and sign of the frequency chirp. Recently, it has been shown that the use of an InP/GaInAsP π-phase-shifted Mach-Zehnder modulator driven in a push-pull configuration scheme led to negatively chirped signals with a propagation distance of about 120 km at 10 Gbit/s at a wavelength of 1560 nm. We investigate its use in the simple single-arm modulation scheme and perform the 10 Gbit/s transmission experiments at various wavelengths (1530-1560 nm) in order to check its compatibility as a modulator within a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) source. The vertical structure of the Mach-Zehnder modulator is composed of an undoped 20 multiple quantum well waveguide layer (GaInAsP/InP)