Ultra-low voltage resonant tunnelling diode electroabsorption modulator

dc.creatorFigueiredo, J. M. L.
dc.creatorIronside, C. N.
dc.creatorStanley, C. R.
dc.date2005-03-11
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T05:54:22Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T05:54:22Z
dc.descriptionEmbedding a double barrier resonant tunnelling diode (RTD) in an unipolar InGaAlAs optical waveguide gives rise to a very low driving voltage electroabsorption modulator (EAM) at optical wavelengths around 1550 nm. The presence of the RTD within the waveguide core introduces high non-linearity and negative differential resistance in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of the waveguide. This makes the electric field distribution across the waveguide core strongly dependent on the bias voltage: when the current decreases from the peak to the valley there is an increase of the electric field across the depleted core. The electric field enhancement in the core-depleted layer causes the Franz-Keldysh absorption band-edge to red shift, which is responsible for the electroabsorption effect. High frequency ac signals as low as 100 mV can induce electric field high speed switching, producing substantial light modulation (up to 15 dB) at photon energies slightly lower than the waveguide core band-gap energy. The key difference between this device and conventional p-i-n EAMs is that the tunnelling characteristics of the RTD are employed to switch the electric field across the core depleted region; the RTDEAM has in essence an integrated electronic amplifier and therefore requires considerably less switching power.
dc.description10 pages
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0503098
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0503098
dc.identifierJournal Modern Optics, 49, 5, pp. 939 - 945 (Abri 2002).
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/86938
dc.subjectOptics
dc.subjectInstrumentation and Detectors
dc.titleUltra-low voltage resonant tunnelling diode electroabsorption modulator
dc.typetext

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