We fabricated an InP-based dual-polarization In-phase and Quadrature (DP-IQ) modulator consisting of a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulator array integrated with RF termination resistors and backside via holes for high-bandwidth coherent driver modulators and revealed its high reliability. These integrations allowed the chip size (Chip size: 4.4mm×3mm) to be reduced by 59% compared with the previous chip without these integrations, that is, the previous chip needed 8 chip-resistors for terminating RF signals and 12 RF electrode pads for the electrical connection with these resistors in a Signal-Ground-Signal configuration. This MZ modulator exhibited a 3-dB bandwidth of around 40 GHz as its electrical/optical response, which is sufficient for over 400 Gbit/s coherent transmission systems using 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and 64QAM signals. Also, we investigated a rapid degradation which affects the reliability of InP-based DP-IQ modulators. This rapid degradation we called optical damage is caused by strong incident light power and a high reverse bias voltage condition at the entrance of an electrode in each arm of the MZ modulators. This rapid degradation makes it difficult to estimate the lifetime of the chip using an accelerated aging test, because the value of the breakdown voltage which induces optical damage varies considerably depending on conditions, such as light power, operation wavelength, and chip temperature. Therefore, we opted for the step stress test method to investigate the lifetime of the chip. As a result, we confirmed that optical damage occurred when photo-current density at the entrance of an electrode exceeded threshold current density and demonstrated that InP-based modulators did not degrade unless operation conditions reached threshold current density. This threshold current density was independent of incident light power, operation wavelength and chip temperature.

This paper reports dual-polarization In-phase and Quadrature (DP-IQ) modulators and photodetectors integrated with the 90° hybrid using InP-based monolithic integration technologies for 100/200Gb/s coherent transmission. The DP-IQ modulator was monolithically integrated with the Mach-Zehnder modulator array consisting of deep-ridge waveguides formed through dry etching and benzocyclobutene planarization processes. This DP-IQ modulator exhibited the low half-wavelength voltage (Vπ=1.5V) and the wide 3-dB bandwidth (f3dB > 28GHz). The photodetector monolithically integrated with the 90° hybrid consisting of multimode interference structures was realized by the butt-joint regrowth. A responsivity including total loss of 7.9dB in the waveguide was as high as 0.155A/W at a wavelength of 1550nm, and responsivity imbalance of the In-phase and Quadrature channels was less than ±0.5dB over the C-band. In addition, the low dark current (less than 500pA up to 85°C @ -3.0V) and the stable operation in the accelerated aging test (test condition: -5V at 175°C) over 5,000h were successfully achieved for the p-i-n-photodiode array with a buried heterostructure formed through the selective embedding regrowth. Finally, a receiver responsivity including intrinsic loss of 3dB in the polarization beam splitter was higher than 0.070A/W at a wavelength of 1550nm through the integration of the spot-size converter, and demodulation of 128Gb/s DP-QPSK and 224Gb/s DP-16QAM modulated signals was demonstrated for the compact coherent receiver using this photodetector integrated with the 90° hybrid. Therefore, we indicated that these InP-based monolithically integrated photonic devices are very useful for 100/200Gb/s pluggable coherent transceivers.

Bistable operation in inhomogeneously excited semiconductor lasers is discussed theoretically considering gain dispersion effects. The results indicate a significant dependence of bistable properties on lasing wavelength when the wavelength is fixed by some selection mechanisms such as distributed feedback structures.

Switching characteristics of bistable distributed feedback lasers are analyzed theoretically. The results predict that switch-on speed as well as switch-off speed is improved by a factor of two or more by detuning the Bragg wavelength to shorter wavelength from the wavelength at which the gain is the maximum. This improvement is mainly due to enhancement of the differential gain through the detuning effect.