Mitsubishi Electric Develops Highly Reliable 40-Gbps EA Modulator and 10-Gbps 1.3-um FP Laser

Source: Mitsubishi Electric

EA Modulator Grown on Semi-insulating Substrate Reduces Parasitic Capacitance

FP Laser Operates with Low Power Penalty at 85 Degrees Celsius

Anaheim, CA. The Electronic Device Group of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc., today announced that its parent, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, attained high reliability results with its 40-gigabit per second (Gbps) electroabsorption (EA) modulator and 10-Gbps 1.3-um Fabry-Perot (FP) laser -- products under development to meet the greater bandwidth and wider temperature-range requirements of future Internet and networking applications. The 40-Gbps EA modulator was developed on a semi-insulating substrate to achieve high bandwidth performance because the substrate can reduce parasitic capacitance. The 1.3-um FP laser achieved a low power penalty when operating at 10-Gbps and 85 degrees Celsius, and demonstrated a lifetime of more than 200,000 hours. These developments will be discussed in detail this week at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Exhibit in Anaheim, CA.

40-Gbps EA Modulator

Mitsubishi Electric s 40-Gbps EA modulator achieved an increased transmission speed for next-generation 40-Gbps applications through a combination of approaches. Engineers developed the EA modulator in a multi-quantum-well (MQW) structure with integrated transparent waveguides and by using an InP:Fe substrate. By applying the InP:Fe substrate, they reduced parasitic capacitance to 0.07 picofarads (pF) to attain a 40-GHz bandwidth. They also facilitated high-speed operation by using transparent waveguides to shorten modulator length. The device attained a 15-dB extinction ratio at a 1553-nm wavelength at 0 7/8 3 volt operation. The engineers confirmed the reliability of the EA modulator using accelerated aging tests, and estimated the device s lifetime at more than 17 million hours at 25 degrees Celsius.

10-Gbps 1.3-um FP Laser

Mitsubishi Electric engineers constructed an uncooled 1.3-um FP laser, using a ridge waveguide structure, with the goal of maintaining its 10-Gbps transmission speed with a low power penalty throughout a wide temperature range. A critical factor in attaining this goal was to increase the relaxation oscillation frequency at an elevated temperature. To accomplish this task, engineers increased the product of the FP laser s front/rear facet reflectivity and decreased its cavity length. They also used AlGaInAs technology to improve the FP laser s temperature dependence in basic characteristics, such as threshold current and slope efficiency.

The FP laser they developed attained a 10-Gbps transmission rate at 85 degrees Celsius with a low power penalty of 1.4 dB (at a bit error rate of one 10-billionth) at +10.3 ps/nm dispersion SMF transmission. This result suggests the FP laser is suitable for uncooled 10-Gbps Ethernet applications longer than three kilometers.

The engineers subjected 12 of the FP lasers to a long-term life test at 10 mW in APC mode at 85 degrees Celsius (with L=200um and Rf/Rr = 65/90%). The lasers attained stable operation for more than 6,500 hours and an estimated lifetime of 200,000 hours, more than equivalent to the performance of conventional FP lasers made in an InGaAsP technology. In addition, the FP lasers demonstrated no deterioration in catastrophic optical damage (COD) level and a pulsed output power of more than 200 mW with no noticeable fluctuation for 1,300 hours.

About Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation offers a diverse range of optoelectronic products for SDH, SONET, DWDM, data communication, FITL, as well as passive optical network systems, test and instrumentation applications, and CATV distribution. The company markets its optoelectronic products in North America through the Electronic Device Group of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and its North American affiliate, Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc., are world-class suppliers of semiconductors and electronic products for computers, communications, industrial, Internet-enabled, automotive, and visual applications. Mitsubishi combines its systems-level expertise and high-level silicon process technologies to provide chip, chipset and system-on-chip solutions. The company is ranked among the top-tier worldwide semiconductor suppliers and offers an extensive range of semiconductor and computer system components for the North American marketplace, including embedded DRAM/flash/SRAM, ASIC, ASSP, MCU, discrete memory, graphics, microwave/RF, optoelectronic, storage, and flat-panel display products. Additional information on the Mitsubishi Electric Semiconductor Group is available at http://www.mitsubishichips.com/.

Trademark Information Mitsubishi and the Mitsubishi logo are registered trademarks of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in the U.S.A., Japan and other countries. Keywords Mitsubishi, optical, laser, electroabsorption modulator, Fabry-Perot, 40 gigabit, 10 gigabit.

Contact: Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. John Garner Tel: 408/774-3191 garner_john@edg.mea.com Booth Number 1324 or Positio Investor & Public Relations Dave Richardson Tel: 650/815-1006, Ext. 108 dave@positiopr.com