High-power and high-speed performance of 1.3-μm strained MQW gain-coupled DFB lasers

In-phase gain-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with etched quantum-well active-layers emitting at 1.3-/spl mu/m wavelength have been fabricated for the first time. High optical output power up to 50 mW was achieved while single-mode operation was maintained at the longer wavelength side of the Bragg stop band because the in-phase gain coupling effect favors this wavelength. With the optimization of the strained-layer multi-quantum wells (MQW) in the active region, a large effective differential gain of 7.5-19/spl times/10/sup -16/ cm/sup 2/, a high modulation bandwidth of 18 GHz, and high temperature operation up to 100/spl deg/C were obtained when the DFB wavelength was not detuned from the material gain peak.>