Abstract

In recent years, there has been much interest in the development of waveguide-integrated detectors for applications in wavelength division multiplexing and balanced heterodyne receivers in coherent systems^(l)-(3). In this paper, we report the first integration of a strained layer (In_0.35Ga_0.65AS on GaAs) metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) detector with a GaA1As/GaAs rib-waveguide. By optimizing the thicknesses of the epitaxial layers, we achieved an estimated coupling efficiency of 99% from the incident mode in the rib waveguide to the guided modes in the integrated-detector section. We measured a DC responsivity (λ = 1.3 μm) as high as 0.6 mA/mW for 100- μm long detectors at a voltage bias of 6 V. In addition, we will present the advantages offered by this device for bias-switching waveguide delay lines designed for the optical control of microwave phased array radar.

© 1992 Optical Society of America