MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED QUANTUM-CONFINED STARK-EFFECT TUNED LASER WITH UNIFORM FREQUENCY-MODULATION RESPONSE

Conventional tunable semiconductor lasers tuned by the carrier induced effect suffer from intrinsically nonuniform optical frequency modulat ion (FM) response due to the associated thermal effect. Electric field effect tuned lasers involving no current injection, offer intrinsical ly uniform FM response. We report here the first quantum-confined Star k effect tuned two-section ridge waveguide laser fabricated by postgro wth band gap engineering techniques. An highly uniform FM response, wi thin +/-3 dB from 30 kHz to 6 GHz, is achieved, independent of laser o utput power, the widest and most uniform response yet reported for a f ield effect tuned laser. The residual intensity modulation is less tha n 5% for 4.5-GHz peak frequency deviation.