Modulation Bandwidth Enhancement of Monolithically Integrated Mutually Coupled Distributed Feedback Laser

Abstract

Modulation bandwidth enhancement of directly modulated semiconductor lasers (DMLs) has attracted broad interest to accommodate the tremendously growing demand for network traffic. In this paper, a monolithically integrated mutually coupled (IMC) laser for the O-band is demonstrated both numerically and experimentally. The direct modulation bandwidth was enhanced utilizing a photon–photon resonance (PPR) effect based on the mutual injection-locking technique. The IMC laser consisted of two distributed feedback (DFB) laser sections with a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) section in between. The relationship between the PPR frequency and SOA length was analyzed numerically to achieve a flat modulation response by optimizing the SOA length. Then, an enhanced 3-dB bandwidth of 38.7 GHz was realized experimentally, a nearly threefold enhancement over the modulation bandwidth of a solitary DFB laser at the same bias. Moreover, clear open eyes up to 40 Gb/s transmission over a 25-km single-mode fiber were achieved. Although the dynamic extinction ratio of the eye diagram was 1.1 dB, it can be further improved by increasing the mutual injection locking range of the IMC laser.