Electric field switching in a resonant tunneling diode electroabsorption modulator

Author

Figueiredo, José M Longras ; Ironside, Charles N. ; Stanley, Colin R.

Author_Institution

Dept. de Fisica, Univ. do Algarve, Faro, Portugal

Volume

37

Issue

12

fYear

2001

fDate

12/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1547

Lastpage

1552

Abstract

The basic mechanism underlying electric field switching produced by a resonant tunneling diode (RTD) is analyzed and the theory compared with experimental results; agreement to within 12% is achieved. The electroabsorption modulator (EAM) device potential of this effect is explored in an optical waveguide configuration. It is shown that a RTD-EAM can provide significant absorption coefficient change, via the Franz-Keldysh effect, at appropriate optical communication wavelengths around 1550 nm and can achieve up to 28-dB optical modulation in a 200-μm active length device. The advantage of the RTD-EAM over the conventional reverse-biased p-n junction EAM, is that the RTD-EAM has, in essence, an integrated electronic amplifier and, therefore, requires considerably less switching power

Keywords

absorption coefficients; electro-optical modulation; electroabsorption; integrated optoelectronics; optical planar waveguides; resonant tunnelling diodes; 1550 nm; 200 micron; Franz-Keldysh effect; absorption coefficient; electric field switching; electroabsorption modulator; integrated electronic amplifier; less switching power; optical communication wavelengths; optical modulation; optical waveguide configuration; resonant tunneling diode; resonant tunneling diode electroabsorption modulator; reverse-biased p-n junction EAM; Absorption; Diodes; Optical amplifiers; Optical devices; Optical fiber communication; Optical modulation; Optical waveguide theory; Optical waveguides; P-n junctions; Resonant tunneling devices;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9197

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/3.970901

Filename

970901