Performance Analyses of Photonic-Crystal Surface-Emitting Laser: Toward High-Speed Optical Communication

Abstract

This study conducts comprehensive performance analyses of a commercial photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSEL) via small-signal measurement and the bit-error-rate test. Meanwhile, the radio frequency characteristics of the PCSEL are unveiled for the first time. Compared to the vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, the PCSEL shows great potential for a broader optical bandwidth that is benefited from the high optical-confinement factor. A maximum bandwidth of around 2.32 GHz is experimentally observed when the PCSEL was biased at 340 mA. Moreover, a theoretical calculation was applied to shed light on the characteristics of the small-signal measurement, providing a deep insight into the corresponding intrinsic response model. The signal transmission capability of the PCSEL was investigated as well. The maximum bit rate and corresponding rise time transmitted at 500 Mbps are 1.2 Gbps and 186.16 ps, respectively. Thus, a high-speed PCSEL can be realised with a shrunk form factor, serving as a promising candidate for the next-generation light sources in high-speed optical communication.

Small signal modulation of photonic crystal surface emitting lasers

“…Additionally, high power and brightness devices 13 as well as coherently coupled arrays of devices 25 have been demonstrated. Recently, an intrinsic modulation bandwidth up to 1.68 GHz has been reported for PCSELs 26 , and modulation rates up to 2 GHz have been confirmed for a PCSEL used in a 64 QAM modulation scheme 27 .…”

Continuous-wave operation of 1550 nm low-threshold triple-lattice photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers

“…The 1.55 μm PCSELs are expected to be essential for optical communications and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) due to the minimum fiber loss window and high eye-safe threshold. Nevertheless, due to their higher material absorption than GaAs counterparts, the device performance of PCSELs operating at 1.55 μm has lagged behind until now (albeit with some developments seen using 1.3 μm PCSELs 19 – 23 ). One effective way to improve their performance is to optimize the threshold gain and output power by increasing the cavity optical feedback 2 , 24 , 25 .…”

Beyond 5G Fronthaul Based on FSO Using Spread Spectrum Codes and Graphene Modulators

“…Among many fronthaul technologies for deploying a mobile network , freespace optics (FSO) have gained momentum mainly due to the progress in the laser-based transmission stage [29]. Laser technologies for high-speed optical telecom are becoming mature, scalable, and cost-efficient [30]. In this fashion, many lasing technologies are commercially available and enabling many interesting networking scenarios.…”