The development of a high performance laser with low relative intensity noise (RIN) for RF photonics application is proposed. The laser has a modulation doped multiquantum well active region and is fabricated on a p-type substrate. The former is needed for low RIN because the modulation doped multiquantum well design increases the resonance frequency, and the latter is needed for low intermodulation distortion because p-substrate based buried hetereostructure lasers reduce leakage currents and hence improve linearity. Modulation doped multiquantum well lasers will be fabricated, characterized and packaged in phase II. Externally modulated lasers are also good candidates for RF photonic applications. We also plan to investigate integrated externally modulated lasers for RF photonic applications. The integration has the advantage in packaging, compactness and cost as compared with hybrid DFB/external modulator devices. The integrated device we plan to investigate are integrated electroabsorption modulated (EML) and integrated Mach-Zehnder laser (MZL) devices. We plan to fabricate these devices and investigate their performance limits. These devices will be fabricated, characterized and packaged by the end of Phase II.
Keywords: Laser; Electro-Absorption Modulator; Photonics; Rf; Linear L
