Finite-difference time-domain analysis and experimental examinationof the performance of a coupled-cavity MQW laser/active waveguide at1.54 μm

The performance characteristics of a coupled cavity InGaAsP-InP MQW laser/active waveguide made by one-step epitaxy and well-controlled reactive ion etching (RIE) have been theoretically analyzed and experimentally determined. A theoretical model based on a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique was used to simulate the propagation of an optical wave launched in the coupled system and determine the reflectivity of the facets created by RIE. The calculated effective reflectivity of the coupling region consisting of two facets and an air gap is between 0.45 and 0.55, which is in good agreement with the experimentally measured value of 0.5. The reflectivity of a single etched mirror derived from this value is estimated to be 0.3. A 120-μm-long monolithically integrated active waveguide when biased as a modulator and excited by the laser shows a maximum extinction ratio of 8 dB and a modulation bandwidth ⩾14 GHz at a dc bias of -0.5 V with a bias swing of 2 V