Short Courses

SC177 High-Speed Semiconductor Lasers and Modulators

Sunday, February 24, 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
John Bowers; Univ. of California at Santa Barbara, USA

Level: Intermediate (Prior knowledge of topic is necessary to appreciate course material)

Course Description
Modulation of light for transmission at 10, 40, and 160 Gbit/s is a critical problem for fiber-optic networks. We will review the basic concepts of optical modulators, with emphasis on electroabsorption modulators. The fundamental physics and design of modulators will be reviewed. The microwave characteristics of semiconductor lasers, important for high-speed digital and analog applications, are presented. From the rate equations for electron and photon dynamics in the laser we derive fundamental limits to laser bandwidth. These limits include resonance limits, damping, transport effects and device parasitics. Methods to increase the bandwidth are illustrated with examples from literature, along with results showing the current state of the art. Finally, analog and large-signal modulation issues important for applications in communication systems are covered, including ringing, chirp, intensity noise and distortion.

Benefits and Learning Objectives
This course should enable you to:

• Compare different technologies.
• Make informed decisions on the design of optical transmitters and their incorporation into optical networks.
• Understand the performance of high-speed transmitters.

Intended Audience
The student should have some knowledge of semiconductor and device physics. A basic knowledge of laser operation is needed.

Instructor Biography
John E. Bowers is director of the Multidisciplinary Optical Switching Technology Center (MOST), and a professor in the department of electrical engineering at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). He is cofounder and CTO of Calient Networks. He received his master's and doctorate degrees from Stanford University. He worked for AT&T, Bell Labs and Honeywell before joining UCSB. He is a fellow of the IEEE, OSA and the American Physical Society, and a recipient of the IEEE/LEOS William Streifer Award. He has published nine book chapters, 300 journal papers, 500 conference papers and has received 32 patents.