Very-High-Allowability of Incidental Optical Power for Polarization-Insensitive InGaAs/InAlAs Multiple Quantum Well Modulators Buried in Semi-Insulating InP

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Abstract
Very-low insertion loss (<6 dB) and polarization-insensitive (TE/TM polarization difference loss <1.0 dB) strained InGaAs/InAlAs multiple quantum well (MQW) modulators with high-speed (3-dB bandwidth 18 GHz) and a high-saturation optical power level (16 dBm) have been fabricated and demonstrated. Allowability of incidental optical power for these modulators has been investigated using high-mesas and semi-insulating buried heterostructures (SIBHs). It is confirmed that the upper limit of allowability is determined by the product of absorbed photocurrent and applied voltage and the resulting SIBH is superior to that of high-mesa structures. The MQW layer thickness dependence of the allowability has also been investigated and it has been determined that the optical confinement factor has an important effect on the upper limit of this allowability.