Laser Components
The chapter covers InP based laser diodes (1.3–1.6 μm wavelength range) deployed as transmitter devices in today’s optical communication systems. Only discrete directly modulated devices are considered in this chapter which is followed by two other laser
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Laser Components Norbert Grote, Martin Möhrle, and Markus Ortsiefer
Abstract The chapter covers InP based laser diodes (1.3–1.6 µm wavelength range) deployed as transmitter devices in today’s optical communication systems. Only discrete directly modulated devices are considered in this chapter which is followed by two other laser related articles dealing specifically with ultra-fast and wavelengthtunable devices. In the first part a description of basic laser structures and technology, of relevant gain materials and their impact on lasing properties is given. This is followed by summarizing fundamental characteristics of Fabry-Pérot devices. Recent achievements on the derivative semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) will then be addressed which are no longer treated in a dedicated chapter in this re-edited book. The second part is devoted to single-wavelength lasers focusing on design aspects and various implementations. Essentially distributed feedback (DFB) devices are treated but other options like so-called “discrete mode” laser diodes will also be outlined. The third part of this chapter is devoted to surface emitting laser diodes, mainly vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) are also including horizontal cavity DFB structures designed for surface emission.
3.1 Introduction Semiconductor laser diodes used as optical transmitters represent one of the principal components in any fiber based communication system. Laser diodes are used because these devices can be directly current modulated with modulation rates of up to several tens of Gb/s being achievable today, they are extremely small in size N. Grote (B) · M. Möhrle Photonic Components Dept., Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institute, Einsteinufer 37, 10587 Berlin, Germany e-mail: [email protected] M. Möhrle e-mail: [email protected] M. Ortsiefer VERTILAS GmbH, Daimlerstrasse 11d, 85748 Garching, Germany e-mail: [email protected] © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 H. Venghaus, N. Grote (eds.), Fibre Optic Communication, Springer Series in Optical Sciences 161, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-42367-8_3
N. Grote et al.
and power efficient, and can be made at very low cost due to the use of semiconductor wafer batch fabrication. Nowadays market prices of state-of-the-art Fabry-Perot (multi-wavelength) laser chips are well below 1 US$ in high volumes, and even the more demanding single-wavelength diodes have reached the lower single-digit US$ range. The first functioning semiconductor laser devices came into existence as early as in 1962 [1, 2], and a major breakthrough was achieved in 1969 [3, 4] by demonstrating a heterojunction design which was honored recently with the year 2000 Nobel prize. Those laser diodes were based on Ga(Al)As generating laser emission in the wavelength window around 850 nm. This spectral range is still prevailing for short reach (220 °C
laser diodes on InP in this wavelength domain. In particular, such devices have shown laser operation at >220 °C (
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