| Abstract: | An electroabsorption modulator incorporates waveguiding regions along the
length of the modulator that include quantum wells where at least two of
the regions have quantum wells with different bandgaps. In one embodiment
of the invention, the regions are arranged such that the quantum wells
have bandgaps with decreasing bandgap energy along the length of the
modulator from the modulator's input to its output. The bandgap energy of
the quantum wells may be decreased in discrete steps or continuously.
Advantageously, such an arrangement better distributes the optical
absorption as well as the carrier density along the length of the
modulator. Further advantageously, the modulator may handle increased
optical power as compared with prior art modulators of similar
dimensions, which allows for improved link gain when the optical
modulator is used in an analog optical communication link. |