This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination. IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS 1 Integrated Fourier-Domain Mode-Locked Lasers: Analysi

Abstract—Fourier-domain (FD) mode locking of integrated laser diode structures is studied theoretically and their application for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) comb generation for future terabits per second interconnects is discussed. Twenty-five-gigahertz FD mode-locked structures with ring and Mach– Zehnder-based bandpass filters show comb widths of 1.0–1.8 THz, i.e., 40–72 comb lines, but the mode comb is not flat, which increases the mode relative intensity noise (RIN). It is shown that by combin-ing AM and FD mode-locking wide and flat combs (down to 7 dB) can be achieved, with mode RIN values of less than 0.3%, suitable for error-free transmission. These novel structures have been simu-lated using experimentally verified parameters and technologically feasible configurations. Index Terms—Fourier-domain (FD) mode locking, integrated optoelectronics, mode-locked lasers, optoelectronic devices, semi-conductor lasers. I