Abstract

Semiconductor Mach-Zehnder waveguide interferometers are attractive for high-speed intensity modulation because they have, in push-pull configuration, zero frequency chirp and low half-wave voltage Vπ.^1,2 Monolithic integration of a laser and modulator for high-bit-rate optical communications requires that both the active length L and Vπ be kept small. In bulk semiconductors, the Pockels effect yields the product Vπ x L ~ 3 V cm for voltage applied across 1 μm. In this paper we demonstrate Vμ x L as small as 0.4 V cm by utilizing large quantum-well (QW) electrorefractive effects.

© 1990 Optical Society of America