Widely tunable sampled grating DBR laser with integrated electroabsorption modulator

TLDR

The paper presents the first widely tunable semiconductor laser that integrates an electroabsorption modulator. The device is a four‑section buried‑ridge sampled‑grating DBR laser with an integrated 0.87‑eV bandgap bulk‑waveguide electroabsorption modulator. It achieves a 41‑nm continuous tuning range with tuning currents up to 23.5 mA, and delivers over 22 dB optical extinction across the range at a –4 V bias.

Abstract

We report on the development of the first widely tunable semiconductor laser with an integrated electroabsorption modulator. The laser is a four-section buried-ridge sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector design. It has a 41-nm continuous tuning range with a maximum tuning current of 23.5 mA for the hack mirror and 21 mA for the front mirror. The modulator is based on a 0.87-eV bandgap bulk waveguide structure. It is capable of producing more than 22 dB of optical extinction over the entire tuning range of the laser with a -4.0-V bias.