Abstract

A linearized intensity modulator for periodic and pulsed light is proposed and demonstrated. The free carrier plasma effect has been used to modulate the refractive index of the phase section of a three-section mode-locked laser. If injection locked, the modulation induces an arcsine phase response on the three-section mode-locked laser. By introducing this mode-locked laser into a Mach–Zehnder interferometer biased at quadrature, one can realize a true linear intensity modulation. This novel laser suppresses any unwanted amplitude modulation and increases the performance of the linearized intensity modulator. Experimental results have provided a record low static $I_{\pi }$ of 0.39 mA and a spur-free dynamic range of $75\mathrm{dB}.{\mathrm{Hz}}^{2/3}$.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

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