The Centre for Integrated Photonics (CIP) has launched a range of electro-absorption modulators fabricated using indium-phosphide. Available in 40Gbps and 10Gbps versions for either single wavelength or DWDM communications applications, the devices offer compelling advantages as building blocks for next-generation optical networks, including low insertion loss, very small size, high bandwidth, and low drive voltages. CIP's comprehensive III-V semiconductor design and manufacturing services can also be used to produce customer-specific variants of the device with application-specific characteristics to suit emerging system architecture requirements such as RZ (return-to-zero) data modulation and OTDM (optical time division multiplexing).
A key feature of CIP's electro-absorption modulator (EAM) device design is low insertion loss. Figures of 4.5dB or 4dB typical for the 40Gbps and 10Gbps variants, respectively, provide good power margins for system design. This feature stems from novel structures employed in the devices, including a buried heterostructure geometry.
The 40Gbps version of the device--40G-SR-EAM--offers an excellent bandwidth of 32GHz typical for high-quality error-free transmission, and a drive voltage of just 2.9V. These performance parameters compare well to those that can typically be achieved using modulators fabricated from lithium-niobate material, but result in a dramatically smaller footprint. CIP's low-chirp, indium-phosphide (InP) device is very small, and is offered in a compact package with a K connector, or in chip-on-carrier form. Variants of 40G-SR-EAM are available for use in either the 1550nm or 1300nm wavelength bands.
The 10Gbps version of the device--10G-LR-EAM--offers a bandwidth of 10GHz minimum, and a drive voltage of 2.9V. This InP device is also offered in a compact package with a K connector, or in chip-on-carrier form. It is suitable for 1550nm wavelength band applications transmitting over uncompensated links up to 100km.