Dynamic properties of partly gain-coupled 1.55-μm DFB lasers

The lasing characteristics and dynamic properties of partly gain-coupled 1.55-μm DFB lasers with a gain corrugation in the strained-layer MQW active region are presented. Narrow spectral linewidth, which is associated with the low linewidth enhancement factor, was experimentally measured. By analyzing data from RIN measurements, the damping rate, the damping factor, the intrinsic bandwidth and the effective differential gain were obtained. From the small-signal frequency response, a measured 3 dB bandwidth of 22 GHz at 10 mW output power was achieved. The high bandwidth is believed to be related to the high differential gain, resulting from the combination of longitudinal gain and index-coupling mechanisms and the reduction of the carrier transport time, which is due to an efficient lateral carrier injection along the longitudinal interface. Experimental results show that under 10 Gbit/s pseudorandom NRZ modulation, the devices have small wavelength chirp and clear eye openings making them suitable for long haul and high bit-rate applications