Abstract

Optical communication systems operating at 10 Gb/s, such as 10-Gigabit Ethernet,¹ are becoming more and more important even in Local Area Network (LAN) and Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). An uncooled DFB laser directly modulated at 10 Gb/s is a key element for these network applications and can be used in optical transceivers in order to reduce cost, size and power consumption. Due to the typical quantum structure and the small conduction band-offset, very often InGaAsP/InP active layers have been indicated as the responsible for poor temperature characteristics of the lasers emitting at 1300 nm. So in the last years, many effort have been reported in literature in order to find alternative active MQW layers with improved temperature performances. AlGaInAs was considered the best candidate and 10 and 12.5 Gb/s operation up to 85°C have been demonstrated.^2,3 However Al-based MQW layers are not compatible with “conventional” InGaAsP manufacturing processes.

© 2002 Optical Society of America