Long-term wavelength stability of tunable distributed Bragg reflector lasers

Summary form only given. In this paper, we report investigations of accelerated aging tests performed at 60/spl deg/C and 120/spl deg/C, on the tuning section of high performance DBR lasers, in order to understand the physical mechanisms involved in the aging process, to define burning conditions of this laser and also to optimise the structure in terms of aging behaviour. The evolution of the tuning characteristics has been studied together with systematic IM frequency response measurements performed on the same devices at constant Bragg current or carrier density. The goal was to observe whether the wavelength drift (tunability decrease) was linked with a Bragg section carrier lifetime increase or decrease, in order to associate the wavelength evolution to leakage current or nonradiative recombination defect increase.