Strain-compensated InAsP/GaInP multiple quantum wells for 1.3 μm waveguide modulators

We show that high-quality strain-compensated InAsxP1−x/GayIn1−yP multiple quantum wells (MQWs) can be grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) on InP substrates. Very sharp satellite peaks in double-crystal x-ray diffraction are obtained from a p-i-n waveguide structure consisting of 21 periods of 93 Å/135 Å InAs0.4P0.6/Ga0.13In0.87P MQWs. The surface-normal electroabsorption exhibits a significant quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) near 1.3 μm wavelength with a field-dependent absorption coefficient change of 6000 cm−1 and a very small zero-bias residual absorption. Electroabsorption waveguide modulators fabricated using similar material exhibit a large optical saturation threshold in excess of 10 mW incident optical power at 32 meV detuning energy.