Dynamic response of long optical-cavity laser diode for Ka-band communication satellites

This paper presents the performance of a novel Fabry-Perot (FP) laser diode. The laser is composed of a long gain section, and a multiple-quantum-well (MQW) electroabsorption (E/A) modulator. The laser diode is mode locked using the integrated E/A modulator at 19.3 GHz. Sub-carrier data signals at S-band and a frequency reference of 19.3 GHz are simultaneously distributed using modulation of the gain and E/A sections of the laser, respectively. This paper also compares performance of this laser diode at various operation points in terms of pulsewidth, pulse-to-pulse coherency, phase-noise degradation of the frequency reference, and two-tone spurious-free dynamic range. Implication of this laser's performance as an optical transmitter is also evaluated for a fiber-optic (FO) distribution network in Ka-band phased-array antennas for satellite communications.