THE APPLICATION OF QUANTUM-WELL MODULATORS IN SATELLITE INSTRUMENT DESIGN

Future satellite instrument designs will increasingly call for smaller and lighter electronics that do not compromise radio-frequency interf erence susceptibility and electromagnetic compatibility. One way of re alizing these goals is to route signals between components of an instr ument via fiber-optic cables, an approach that requires the integratio n of light modulators and detectors with the electronics. Quantum-well modulators are a promising technology for achieving this integration. The Applied Physics Laboratory is developing and fabricating quantum- well reflection modulators suitable for future spacecraft instrumentat ion designs. We report the first lattice-matched asymmetric Fabry-Pero t modulator for use at a wavelength of 1.3 mum.