Point source heating effects in multiple quantum well modulators

Multiple quantum well modulators have been proposed for use in photonic switching and optical interconnection systems. When used with the smallest devices and at competitive data rates, heating of the devices results. The heat is generated in a small volume coincident with the active optical area and alters the device parameters. In this letter we detail point source heating effects theoretically and experimentally in AlGaAs/GaAs and InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well modulators. These results indicate that when using small devices with small optical spots detrimental effects occur at average optical powers of less than 500 μW which limits the maximum data rate of optical systems.