Data transmission optoelectric device

• US 7,580,595 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VI Systems GmbH
• Original Assignee: Technische Universitã¤T Berlin (Tu)
• Inventors: Shchukin, Vitaly, Bimberg, Dieter, Ledentsov, Nikolai N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Font; Frank G
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ERIC K
• Application Number:
  US12/118,327
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 385/5, 385/8, 385/132
• US Class Current: 385/4
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12004 Combinations of two or more optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0157 using electro-absorption effects, e.g. Franz-Keldysh [FK] effect or quantum confined stark effect [QCSE]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01708 in an optical wavequide structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0657 Mode locking, i.e. generation of pulses at a frequency corresponding to a roundtrip in the cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1021 Coupled cavities H01S5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/12 the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers comprising a photonic bandgap structure H01S5/11; surface-emitting lasers H01S5/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18302 comprising an integrated optical modulator
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18311 using selective oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1833 with more than one structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2027 Reflecting region or layer, parallel to the active layer, e.g. to modify propagation of the mode in the laser or to influence transverse modes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3412 quantum box or quantum dash

Abstract

An optoelectronic data transmission device has an active section with an active element that generates an optical gain if a forward bias is applied, and an absorption section. A waveguide incorporates the active section and the absorption section. Mirrors providing feedback for light are placed to frame the waveguide. The device can be operated in a pulsed regime emitting pulsed laser light. An additional modulator allows modulating its refractive index due to the electrooptic effect. A device providing for the modulation of the refractive index of the modulator. The refractive index of the additional modulator can be varied such that the repetition frequency of the output pulsed laser light is varied. The waveguide further incorporates the additional modulator.

Claims

1. A data transmission optoelectronic device, comprising:

mirrors providing feedback for light;

a waveguide disposed between said mirrors;

an active section incorporated in said waveguide, said active section having an active element for generating an optical gain if a forward bias is applied, said active element being selected from the group consisting of;

a) a quantum well;

b) an array of quantum wires;

c) an array of quantum dots;

d) a stack of quantum wells, quantum wires, or quantum dots; and

e) any combination of a) through d);

an absorption section incorporated in said waveguide; and

an additional modulator incorporated in said waveguide, said additional modulator being configured to modulate a refractive index thereof such that a repetition frequency of the pulsed laser light is frequency-modulated and frequency-modulated optical data signals are generated;

wherein the device is operable in a pulsed regime emitting pulsed laser light and the device is adapted to transmit frequency-modulated data signals.

2. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said additional modulator comprises a material that exhibits an electrooptic effect providing a relative change of the refractive index of at least Δ

n[%]=1% at an applied electric field 100 keV/cm.

3. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein means for providing modulation includes a switch for switching the repetition frequency between at least two different repetition frequencies.

4. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said active section is selected from the group consisting of:

a) an edge-emitting diode laser;

b) a vertical cavity surface emitting laser;

c) a tilted cavity laser operating in the edge-emitting geometry;

d) a tilted cavity laser operating in the surface-emitting geometry;

e) a wavelength-stabilized leaky wave laser with reflection from a back side of the substrate;

f) a distributed feedback laser;

g) a microdisk laser;

h) a photonic crystal laser;

i) a laser comprising at least one external mirror; and

j) a laser, wherein at least one mirror is a distributed feedback mirror.

5. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said absorption section is monolithic with said gain section and grown in a single epitaxial process.

6. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein a common medium is used as a gain medium and an electrooptically active medium.

7. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein a medium used as electrooptically active medium is different from a medium used as a gain medium.

8. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said electrooptic modulator and said active element are placed in mutually different cavities.

9. The data transmission device according to claim 1 commonly fabricated with other devices in an array of devices on a common wafer, and the devices of the array are configured operate independently for multi-channel transmission.

10. A method of generating pulsed laser light, the method which comprises:

providing a data transmission device that is operable in a pulsed regime, the device having an active section and an absorption section, a waveguide incorporating the active section and the absorption section, and mirrors providing feedback for light, with the waveguide disposed between the mirrors;

providing the active section of the data transmission device with an active element being selected from the group consisting of;

a) a quantum well;

b) an array of quantum wires;

c) an array of quantum dots;

d) a stack of quantum wells, quantum wires, or quantum dots; and

e) any combination of a) through d);

applying a forward bias to the active element of the active section; and

generating optical gain therein;

transmitting data signals in a frequency-modulated manner;

modulating a refractive index of an additional modulator incorporated in the waveguide of the device such that the repetition frequency of the pulsed laser light is frequency-modulated and frequency-modulated optical data signals are generated.

11. The method according to claim 10, which comprises frequency-modulating the pulsed laser light by switching the repetition frequency between at least two different repetition frequencies.