Operation of an LED with a single-mode semiconductor amplifier as a broad-band 1.3-μm transmitter source

A semiconductor amplifier and an edge-emitting LED are operated in a single-mode-fiber connected configuration to demonstrate a broad-linewidth 1.3-μm transmitter. The output from the LED is increased by a 13.5-dB chip gain through the amplifier to 2.3-mW while maintaining a broad 3-dB spectral width of 600 /spl Aring/ from the LED. A 600-Mb/s modulation speed was demonstrated, with open eye-patterns from the amplifier, with direct current modulation applied to the LED. A theoretical analysis shows that the LED-amplifier gain is about 7 dB less than the peak amplifier gain for a narrow-line signal due to the broad spectrum and wavelength offset of the LED. The 1.3-μm LED-amplifier may be useful as a transmitter for fiber access networks to avoid optical beat interference noise, or as a broadband source for wavelength sliced WDM networks. The device has the potential to be monolithically integrated for wavelengths at 1.3 and 1.5 μm.