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Optical modulation at around 1550 nm in a InGaAlAs optical waveguide containing a InGaAs/AlAs resonant tunnelling diode

Optics 2007-05-23 v2

Abstract

We report electro-absorption modulation of light at around 1550 nm in a unipolar InGaAlAs optical waveguide containing a InGaAs/AlAs double-barrier resonant tunneling diode (DB-RTD). The RTD peak-to-valley transition increases the electric field across the waveguide, which shifts the core material absorption band-edge to longer wavelengths via the Franz-Keldysh effect, thus changing the light-guiding characteristics of the waveguide. Low-frequency characterisation of a device shows modulation up to 28 dB at 1565 nm. When dc biased close to the negative differential conductance (NDC) region, the RTD optical waveguide behaves as an electro-absorption modulator integrated with a wide bandwidth electrical amplifier, offering a potential advantage over conventional pn modulators.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.physics/0503152,
  title  = {Optical modulation at around 1550 nm in a InGaAlAs optical waveguide containing a InGaAs/AlAs resonant tunnelling diode},
  author = {J. M. L. Figueiredo and A. R. Boyd and C. R. Stanley and C. N. Ironside and S. G. McMeekin and A. M. P. Leite},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0503152},
  year   = {2007}
}

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11 pages