Objective
The project objective is to develop highly advanced, quantum well based, semiconductor lasers and modulators of enhanced performance. The specification of these devices will be aligned with IBC network requirements, especially the need to support multi-gigabit systems ( 10 Gbit/s).
The objective of the research was to develop highly advanced quantum well based, semiconductor lasers and modulators with enhanced performance. The specification of these devices has to conform with integrated broadband communications (IBC) network requirements, especially the need to support multigigabit systems (10 gigabet per second).
The key issues comprised of material and device characteristics to produce devices for high speed modulation with high power output, low chirp and high efficiency.
The research resulted in the following achievements:
through investigations of growth techniques were carried out with rapid feedback provided via modelling and sophisticated measurement techniques with atomic monolayer resolution;
a major effort was directed to the realization of advanced device structures (these has been successfully tested in 10 gigabytes per second systems);
threshold current densities as low as 260 amperes per square centimetre in strained gallium indium arsenic phosphide multiple quantum well (MQW) lasers have been obtained;
key optoelectronic components were developed and realized;
quantum well (QW) modulators based on the quantum confirmed stark effect (QCSE) and Warnier stark effect (WSE) were successfully realized in both material systems (ie gallium indium arsenic phosphide/indium phosphide and gallium indium aluminium arsenide/indium phosphide).
Technical Approach
Based on highly advanced, potentially low cost epitaxial technologies, such as MBE/GSMBE/MOMBE and AP/LP MOVPE, both the InGaAsP/InP and InGaAlAs/InP material systems will be exploited in terms of all parameters relevant to QW based lasers and modulators.
Extremely low parasitic laser structures will be realised to reveal the expected device performance increase by QW effects (low temperature sensitivity, high efficiency, high modulation bandwidth, low chirp for QW lasers and high modulation efficiency, extended modulation bandwidth, drastically reduced chirp for QW modulators). This will require a profound understanding of material and device parameters, together with sophisticated characterisation techniques; to give a continuous feedback process towards overall optimisation of devices for system applications.
Key Issues
The key issues for this project comprise control of material and device characteristics so as to produce devices for high speed modulation, high power output with low chirp and high efficiency. This is expected to enhance system structures and performance.
Achievements
Thorough investigations of growth techniques were continued, with rapid feedback provided via modelling and sophisticated measurement techniques with atomic mono-layer resolution. A major effort was directed to the realisation of advanced device structures - these have been successfully tested in 10 Gbit/s systems.
The work has resulted in 51 papers and publications in the past year. Among the best results, world-wide threshold current densities as low as 260A/cm2 in strained GaInAsP MQW lasers have been obtained.
High speed laser structures have reached a mature state thus allowing to take full benefit of QW technology. Nevertheless, new structures with extremely reduced parasitics were developed, exhibiting capacitances in the sub pF range (VUG) and further pushing-up the bandwidth limitation due to parasitic effects.
During 1991, selected strained and unstrained MQW DFB SI BH lasers were delivered to R1051 for system tests. All QW lasers showed excellent results at 10 Gbit/s, bringing Europe to the forefront of the world stage. The AQUA project was represented at the RACE stand on the exhibition during ECOC/IOOC'91 in Paris, with a common demonstration by R1051 and R1057 entitled 8.96 Gbit/s Distribution of 64 (HD)TV Channels to 260 Thousand Subscribers using Novel MQW DFB Laser and Optical Amplifiers. Key opto-electronic components for this were developed and realised within AQUA.
QW modulators based on the QCSE and WSE were successfully realised in both material systems, GaInAsP/InP and GaInAlAs/InP. Rapid progress was enabled by the expertise in QW technology gained within the project, leading to convincing results like high extinction rations over 20dB, low modulation voltages, high bandwidths exceeding 10GHz and initial yet-to-be- optimised devices operating at 5 Gbit/s.
Expected Impact
It is expected that the way towards high speed systems of improved performances will be considerably eased by the availability of QW lasers and modulators. This enhancement of performance will have a market impact on systems allowing for higher data rates and reduced component costs.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry post-transition metals
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics
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Coordinator
70435 Stuttgart
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.