Modelling of laser diodes under direct microwave intensity modulation

The commercial availability of laser diodes which are capable of being directly modulated at frequencies up to 10 GHz has made possible the development of microwave fibre-optic links. These applications dictate the derivation of microwave circuit models of laser diodes which can yield the intensity and frequency modulation response for small-signal and large-signal operation. The authors present the small-signal and large-signal characterisation of a directly modulated laser diode using equivalent circuit models. A harmonic balance simulation has been developed for the nonlinear analysis of the diode operation. The approach is suitable for the design and characterisation of integrated optoelectronic transmitters operating at microwave frequencies