Coldren: Monolithically integrated InP-based tunable wavelength conversion

In this work, we describe tunable wavelength converters based on a photodiode receiver integrated with a tunable laser transmitter. Devices are fabricated on a robust InP ridge/InGaAsP waveguide platform. The photodiode receiver consists of an integrated SOA pre-amplifier and a PIN diode to improve sensitivity. The laser transmitter consists of a 1550 nm widely tunable SGDBR laser modulated either directly or via an integrated modulator outside the laser cavity. An SOA post-amplifier provides high output power. The integrated device allows signal monitoring, transmits at 2.5 GB/s, and removes the requirements for filtering the input wavelength at the output. Integrating the SGDBR yields a compact wavelength agile source that requires only two fiber connections, and no off-chip high speed electrical connections. Analog and digital performance of directly and externally modulated wavelength converters is also described