Abstract

Recent progress in the manufacture of single-mode fibers makes the use of pulse-code modulation (PCM) at a high bit rate very promising for optical communication. We have already demonstrated a simple electrical pumping scheme in which 30-40-psec optical pulses with a repetition rate up to 1 GHz are generated.¹ When the pumping pulses are separated by more than about three times the carrier lifetime, there is no interference in the formation of two adjacent optical pulses. Direct modulation of an injection laser to code the optical pulses is possible.

© 1981 Optical Society of America