Electroabsorption

Modulators

R. Sankaralingam
EE 698
Optical Modulation
n Direct modulation
® Output frequency shifts with drive signal
n Carrier induced (chirp)
n Temperature variation due to carrier modulation
® Limited extinction ratio
n Indirect or External modulation
® Electro-optic modulation
n Change optical path length with applied electric field
® Electroabsorption modulation
n Change amount of light absorbed with applied electric field
® Finite insertion loss (6-7 dB)
Advantages of EA modulator
n Zero biasing voltage
n Low driving voltage
n Low/negative chirp
n High speed
n Lesser polarization dependence
n Integration with DFB laser
n Allows a single optical power source to be used for large
number of information carrying beams
Electroabsorption modulator
n Mechanisms
® Franz-Keldysh effect
n Observed in conventional bulk semiconductors
® Quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE)
n Quantum well structures
n Both of these electroabsorption effects are
prominent near the bandgap of semiconductors
Franz-Keldysh effect
Tunneling allows overlap
of electron and hole
wavefunctions for photon
energy less than bandgap
Ê -4 ˆ
a = K(E' )1/ 2 (8b )-1 expÁ b 3 / 2 ˜
Ë 3 ¯
where,
1/ 3
Ê q 2 E 2h 2 ˆ
E' = Á * ˜
Ë 2m r ¯
e - hw
b= g
E'

†
Excitonic electroabsorption
(Stark effect)
n Excitonic effects gives rise to a
step-like rise in absorption
spectra
n Formation of excitons
manifests themselves as a
series of sharp resonances near
the bandgap energy
n Formed in very pure
semiconductors at low
temperatures
n Excitons can be very easily
field ionized
Quantum Confined Stark Effect
n Quantum well increases the
overlap of electron and hole
wavefunctions
n Electric field reduces overlap
and results in a corresponding
reduction in absorption and
luminescence
n Exciton absorption peak is not
greatly broadened because of
confinement
Device structure

n Primary materials for EA

modulators are III-V
semiconductors
n PIN structure
n Transmission type does not
lead to high enough extinction
ratio
n Waveguide type more
commonly used - has higher
optical confinement
Design considerations
n Operation principle
n Contrast ratio
n Insertion loss
n Modulation efficiency
n Chirp considerations and
efficiency
n Packaging and integration
 Extinction Ratio
Pout (Von = 0) e-a ( 0)L
Ron / off = = -a (V )L
Pout (Voff = V ) e
Ron / off (dB) =10 log(Ron / off ) = 4.343⋅ [a (V ) - a (0)]L

n BER directly effected by extinction ratio

n Contrast ratio can be made as large as possible by
†
increasing the length of the modulator. But propagation
loss then becomes an issue.
Insertion loss
n Absorptive loss
® Longer the modulator, larger the insertion loss.
® Trade-off with Extinction Ratio

Pin - Pout (V = 0)
Loss = = 1 - e -a ( 0 ) L
Pin

n Single mode fiber coupling loss

® Waveguide coupler can be used to reduce coupling loss
® Can be as good as 1 dB
® Typical numbers are 5-6 dB
Modulation efficiency
n Modulation efficiency quantifies how much voltage do we need to
modulate the optical signal.

Ron / off
= 4.343
[a (V ) - a (0)]L
= 4.343
Da
DV DV DF
n Smaller detuning will increase the modulation efficiency. However, it
also results in a larger insertion loss.
†
Chirp
n Frequency sweep imposed as a result of power change
2w Dnr 4p Dnr
ae ≡ - =-
c Dg l Dg
n Imaginary part of refractive index is related to optical
absorption coefficient by,
†
2w 4p
a= k= k
c l

n Kramers-Kronig relation
†
hc • Da
Dn = PÚ 2 2 dE
p 0 E - (hw )

†
Chirp Engineering

hc • Da a e dI
Dn = PÚ 2 2 dE Df FWHM =
p 0 E - (hw ) 2I dt

†
Integration

n 10Gb/s module, Ith = 20mA, Pmax = 4mW @80mA , extinction ratio = 15dB
for -2.5V
Acknowledgement

n P. Bhattacharya, Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices

n S. L. Chuang, Physics of Optoelectronic Devices
n C. J. Chang-Hasnain, UC Berkeley, class notes
n J. S. Harris, Stanford University, class notes
n G. L. Li and P. K. L. Yu, J. Lightwave Tech., Sep 2003