MONOLITHIC INTEGRATION OF MULTIPLE-QUANTUM-WELL LASERS AND MODULATORSFOR HIGH-SPEED TRANSMISSION

Monolithically integrated single frequency lasers and electroabsorptio n modulators are attracting considerable interest as optical sources f or long-haul and high-bit-rate fiber-optic links. Their frequency chir pless nature has indeed allowed nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) transmission b eyond the chromatic dispersion limit. They also offer a great potentia l as soliton pulse generators. This paper will discuss the many integr ation schemes devised for their realization with particular emphasis o n the identical active layer (IAL) approach. Recent progress in their high-speed applications will be reported.