High-speed InGaAsP constricted-mesa lasers

Recently, the bandwidths of semiconductor lasers, detectors, and optical transmission systems have been dramatically increased. The considerations used to achieve a record 26.5 GHz bandwidth in a 1.3 μm InGaAsP laser at -60°C are described here. The small-signal modulation characteristics of a number of different laser structures are compared. Several large-signal modulation experiments are described with emphasis on the laser response to 8 Gbit/s modulation.