Abstract

Widespread deployment of fiber optics in the subscriber loop will require considerable reduction in the cost of key components such as lasers. High laser costs arise primarily from packaging and yield. Low-cost packaging has recently been addressed.¹ Here we show that yield can be significantly improved by tailoring the selection criteria to short-distance loop requirements. These include (a) operation temperatures up to +85°C; (b) bit rates >500 Mb/s; (c) simple bias and drive control; (d) packaged output power > −25 dBm; and (e) 3-dB output-power stability. Using a random sample of thirty-two InGaAsP BH lasers which did not meet long-haul transmission specifications, we found that ~55% are capable of satisfactory loop performance.

© 1987 Optical Society of America