Proton implanted VCSEL's for 3 Gb/s data links

Transverse single-mode and multimode intensity modulated butt-coupled InGaAs vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL)s are investigated as a light source for optical fiber communication systems. Data transmission at 3 Gb/s with a bit error rate (BER) of less than 10 ^-11 is reported for both 4.3 km of standard fiber, as well as 0.5 km of multimode graded-index fiber, 10-μm active diameter single-mode VCSELs are shown to have lower mode competition noise requiring 3 dB and 6 dB less power at the front end receiver at a BER of 10^-11 compared to 19-μm and 50-μm active diameter devices, respectively. In data transmission with multimode VCSELs, the dispersion penalty is lower than for single-mode sources since the noise at the receiver is mainly determined by transmitter-mode competition noise     

480-Mbps, Bi-Directional, Ultra-Wideband Radio-Over-Fiber Transmission Using a 1308/1564-nm Reflective Electro-Absorption Transducer and Commercially Available VCSELs

We describe 480 Mbps, bi-directional ultra-wideband (UWB) radio signal transmission over 1 km of single-mode optical fiber. Key components are a highly linear, reflective electro absorption transducer (EAT) and commercially available 1308-nm and 1564-nm VCSELs with 4.8-GHz bandwidth. Detailed EAT and 1308-nm VCSEL distortion analyses and measurements are presented highlighting the low intermodulation and harmonic distortion necessary for typical $-$18-dB wireless channel error vector magnitudes (EVMs). Direct VCSEL modulation with Wimedia supported band group 1 (3.1–4.8 GHz) MB-OFDM UWB signals was modelled with VPItransmissionMaker, suggesting a minimum EVM of $-$18.733 dB at 0.4502 OMI. This was confirmed by 480 Mbps upstream and downstream EVM measurements over fiber of $-$21.4 dB or better. Fully functional, half-duplex, bi-directional data transfer was achieved with interlocked RF switches.      

High performance selectively oxidized VCSELs and arrays forparallel high-speed optical interconnects

High-bandwidth single-mode selectively oxidized vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays operate at 980 nm or 850 nm emission wavelength for substrate or epitaxial side emission. Coplanar feeding lines and polyimide passivation are used to reduce electrical parasitics in top-emitting GaAs and bottom-emitting InGaAs VCSELs. To enhance fundamental single-mode emission for larger devices of reduced series resistance a surface relief transverse mode filter is employed. Fabricated VCSELs are applied in various interconnect schemes. InGaAs quantum-well based VCSELs at 935 nm emission wavelength are investigated for use in perfluorinated graded-index plastic-optical fiber (GI-POF) links. We obtain a 7 Gb/s pseudo random bit sequence (PRBS) nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) data transmission over 80 m long 155 μm diameter GI-POF. We investigate data transmission over standard 1300 nm, 9 μm core diameter single-mode fiber with selectively oxidized single-mode GaAs and InGaAs VCSELs. We achieve biased 3 Gb/s and bias-free 1 Gb/s pseudo-random data transmission over 4.3 km at 830 nm emission wavelength where a simple fiber mode filter is used to suppress intermodal dispersion caused by the second order fiber mode. For the first time, we demonstrate 12.5 Gb/s data rate transmission of PRBS signals over 100 m graded-index multimode fiber or 1 km single-mode fiber using high performance single-mode GaAs VCSELs of 12.3 GHz modulation bandwidth emitting at λ=850 nm     

Spatial investigation of transverse mode turn-on dynamics in VCSELs

Data transmission experiments with single-mode as well as multimode 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are carried out from a near-field point of view. Special attention is paid to important quantities like on/off-ratio and bit error rate (BER). A single-mode VCSEL oscillating on the fundamental LP₀₁ mode shows no change in eye opening, on/off-ratio, and BER at different lateral fiber coupling positions. In the case of a multimode VCSEL oscillating both on the LP₀₁ mode and LP₁₁ donut mode, we observe a significant lateral change in the on/off-ratio, which plays an important role in BER measurements     

Top surface-emitting vertical-cavity laser diodes for 10-Gb/s data transmission

Intensity modulated proton-implanted top surface-emitting vertical-cavity InGaAs QW lasers (VCSELs) with a small-signal modulation bandwidth of 12 GHz butt-coupled to multimode fibers are investigated as light source for optical interconnection. At 10-Gb/s pseudorandom data rates the bit-error rate (BER) remains under 10/sup -11/ after transmission over 500 m of graded index multimode fiber. Optimum transmission behavior is achieved for linearly polarized nearly single-mode laser operation with a side-mode suppression of better than 25 dB under modulation. Spectral characterization indicates that linearly polarized single-mode light output is essential for good BER performance.     

Combined single-mode/multimode fiber link supporting simplified in-building 60-GHz gigabit wireless access

In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a simple, cost-effective hybrid gigabit fiber-wireless system for in-building wireless access. Simplicity and cost-effectiveness are achieved in all parts of the system by utilizing direct laser modulation, optical frequency up-conversion, combined single mode/multimode fiber transmission and envelope detection. Error-free transmission of 2-Gbps data in 60-GHz band over a composite channel including 10-km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF)/1-km multimode fiber (MMF) and 6.5-m air transmission was successfully achieved.     

Investigation of dynamic polarization stability of 850-nmGaAs-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers grown on (311)B and(100) substrates

The polarization stability of 850-nm GaAs-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) under dynamic operation was investigated by comparing the characteristics of VCSELs grown on (311)B and (100) GaAs substrates. Significantly larger suppression ratios of the two orthogonal polarization modes was obtained for VCSELs on (311)B substrates than those on (100) substrates under zero-bias modulation. Time-dependent orthogonal polarization suppression ratio measurements also showed that the polarization direction was more stable in the VCSEL on (311)B substrates than that on (100) substrates. Error-free transmission was realized from VCSELs on (311)B substrates with and without a polarizer in both back-to-back and 100-m multimode fiber transmission     

Review of Glass and Polymer Multimode Fibers Used in a Wimedia Ultrawideband MB-OFDM Radio Over Fiber System

In this paper, we have exhibited the potential of the glass- and polymer-based multimode fibers to be used in a radio over fiber (RoF) system in order to extend the indoor coverage of the Wimedia multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM) ultrawideband (UWB) standard. After the design of a test setup operating at 850 nm, we have performed the physical characterization of the RoF system especially the mask test compliance, the error vector magnitude (EVM), or the relative constellation error (RCE) variation as a function of the system parameters [radio frequency (RF) power, optical attenuation, fiber length, laser bias current]. The transmission performance of both 200 and 480-Mb/s Wimedia signals is demonstrated through a 100-m link length of glass- and polymer-based multimode fibers: transmission penalties are quantified by RCE with values under the standard requirements. Two different behaviors depending on the core material of the fiber have been identified in this study.      

Single transverse mode operation at 1345 nm wavelength of adiode-laser pumped neodymium:ZBLAN multimode fiber laser

A diode-laser pumped multitransverse-mode neodymium-doped fluoride fiber laser is shown to oscillate in the lowest-order transverse mode when the cavity conditions are optimized. The combination of good pump coupling efficiency, laser operating efficiency, and good overlap of the HE₁₁ mode to that of a single-mode fiber, allows up to 12 mW of continuous wave (CW) power to be coupled into a standard single-mode fiber at a 1345-nm wavelength. Improved lens design should significantly increase the power injected into the single-mode fiber from the multimode fiber laser     

Bidirectional multimode-fiber communication links using dual-purpose vertical-cavity devices

This paper describes the development of novel multimode-fiber (MMF) communication links that achieve half-duplex bidirectional transmission over a single fiber through the use of 850-nm dual-purpose GaAs vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices. The dual-purpose devices are fabricated by focused-ion-beam micromachining (FIBM) of standard vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and are able to be switched between operation as either efficient laser sources or as resonant-cavity-enhanced avalanche photodetectors. An avalanche multiplication factor of 10 is achieved at a reverse-bias voltage of 12.3 V. A 1.25-Gb/s half-duplex bidirectional data communication link is demonstrated and shown to allow error-free transmission of binary data over 500 m of standard 50-/spl mu/m-core-diameter MMF. Receiver sensitivities for transceivers based upon these devices are predicted for the first time to be comparable with conventional data communication transceivers. Furthermore, a half-duplex analog bidirectional system is constructed, which permits the transmission of advanced RF modulation formats over MMF. Link characterization by error-vector magnitude (EVM) is described. The dual-purpose vertical-cavity devices are employed for bidirectional transmission of 32-symbol quadrature-amplitude-modulated (32-QAM) signals on a carrier frequency of 2 GHz, relevant to many current wireless local-area network and cellular standards. EVM as low as 1.3% rms is observed for a 600-m link of 62.5-/spl mu/m-core-diameter MMF.     

Coherent Transmission Direct Detection MIMO Over Short-Range Optical Interconnects and Passive Optical Networks

Building on a recently introduced quadratic multiple-input multiple-output (Q-MIMO) channel model making use of quadratic forms instead of linear channel matrices, we explore diverse signaling formats over the Q-MIMO channel in the frequency flat regime, highlighting the unique characteristics of optical multimode fiber (MMF) systems versus their wireless counterparts. In particular, we treat multiple-input single-output multimode fiber systems, comparing them with single-input single-output MMF systems and obtaining insight into the possibility of efficiently coupling the output of an MMF into a single-mode fiber. We further treat vector amplitude modulation over MMF MIMO and study the receiver zero-forcing (ZF) technique for MMF MIMO transmission, deriving its performance and comparing with a recently introduced ZF beamforming technique based on precoding at the transmitter, which is shown to be superior to receiver ZF.      

Performance comparison of 850-nm and 1550-nm VCSELs exploiting OOK,OFDM, and 4-PAM over SMF/MMF links for low-cost optical interconnects

We experimentally compare the performance of two commercially available vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes (VCSELs), a multi-mode 850-nm and a single-mode 1550-nm, exploiting on–off keying/direct detection (OOK/DD), and orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK)/16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) with direct detection, over SMF (100 m and 5 km) and MMF (100 m and 1 km) short-range links, for their potential application in low-cost rack-to-rack optical interconnects. Moreover, we assess the performance of quaternary-pulse amplitude modulation (4-PAM), for the 1550-nm transmitter over SMF and MMF links and we compare it to the data-rate equivalent NRZ-OOK. The extensive performance comparison under various transmission scenarios shows the superiority of 1550-nm single-mode VCSEL compared to its multi-mode 850-nm counterpart. Moreover, OFDM/DD and 4-PAM in conjunction with low-cost, inexpensive VCSELs as transmitters prove to be an enabling technology for next-generation WDM, point-to-point, short-reach, SMF/MMF optical interconnects and potential candidates to substitute NRZ-OOK. Nevertheless, the sensitivity requirements are higher in that case, whereas these advanced, spectrally-efficient modulation formats become severely degraded when transmitted over MMF links, especially, when employing the inexpensive 850-nm VCSELs as transmitter. Finally, we compare the performance of the point-to-point links under investigation to the performance of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)- based, scalable permutation switch fabric, the Optical Shared MemOry Supercomputer Interconnect System (OSMOSIS).     

Single high-order transverse mode surface-emitting laser with controlled far-field pattern

Single transverse mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with high output power are important for high-speed data links, optical recording, laser processing, and so on. We demonstrate a single high-order transverse mode VCSEL with narrow trenches formed on its top surface by using a focused ion beam. The formation of four straight cross trenches resulted in the selection of a stable LP/sub 41/ mode oscillation. A large far-field angle of the LP/sub 41/ mode, which causes a low coupling efficiency even with a multimode fiber, was drastically reduced by loading a phase shift layer. A single-lobe far-field pattern with low scattering loss was realized by loading a spatial phase shift of SiO/sub 2/. We evaluated a coupling efficiency with a single-mode fiber including its alignment tolerance. The controlled far-field pattern enables lens-free direct coupling with a single-mode fiber even for large active-area VCSELs.     

High-performance single-mode VCSELs in the 1310-nm waveband

High-performance vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting in the 1310-nm waveband are fabricated by bonding AlGaAs-GaAs distributed Bragg reflectors on both sides of a InP-based cavity. A 2-in wafer bonding process is optimized to produce very good on-wafer device parameter uniformity. Carrier injection is implemented via double intracavity contact layers and a tunnel junction. A 1.2-mW single-mode output power is obtained in the temperature range of 20/spl deg/C-80/spl deg/C. Modulation capability at 3.2 Gb/s is demonstrated up to 70/spl deg/C. Overall VCSEL performance complies with the requirements of the 10 GBASE-LX4 IEEE.802.3ae standard, which opens the way for novel applications of VCSELs emitting in the 1310-nm band.     

Simultaneous Dual Band Transmission Over Multimode Fiber-Fed Indoor Wireless Network

Performance measurements of different combinations of digital enhanced cordless telecommunications packet radio service, global system for mobile communications, universal mobile telecommunication service, and 802.11g (54 Mbps) signals in a dual band configuration transmitted over an indoor wireless network fed by a low-cost 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)-300m multimode fiber link are presented. The feasibility of such a system is demonstrated with error vector magnitude measurements which are within the required specifications     

Recent Advances of VCSEL Photonics

A vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) was invented 30 years ago. A lot of unique features can be expected, such as low-power consumption, wafer-level testing, small packaging capability, and so on. The market of VCSELs has been growing up rapidly in recent years, and they are now key devices in local area networks using multimode optical fibers. Also, long wavelength VCSELs are currently attracting much interest for use in single-mode fiber metropolitan area and wide area network applications. In addition, a VCSEL-based disruptive technology enables various consumer applications such as a laser mouse and laser printers. In this paper, the recent advance of VCSEL photonics will be reviewed, which include the wavelength extension of single-mode VCSELs and their wavelength integration/control. Also, this paper explores the potential and challenges for new functions of VCSELs toward optical signal processing     

RF transmission over multimode fibers using VCSELs-comparing standard and high-bandwidth multimode fibers

Fiber-optic radio-frequency links have been assembled using oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and multimode fibers. Links with single and multimode VCSELs and with standard and high-bandwidth fibers have been evaluated and compared in the frequency range of 0.1-10 GHz. The best results were obtained for links with a multimode VCSEL and a high-bandwidth fiber. For a 500-m-long link, a spurious free dynamic range of 104 dB/spl middot/Hz/sup 2/3/ at 2 GHz and 100 dB/spl middot/Hz/sup 2/3/ at 5 GHz were obtained while allowing for a VCSEL-fiber misalignment of /spl plusmn/12 /spl mu/m. Corresponding numbers for the intrinsic link gain and noise figure are -29 and -33 dB, and 39 and 42 dB at 2 and 5 GHz, respectively. Inferior performance was observed for the standard fiber link due to a larger variation in modal group velocities. This paper also presents a detailed link analysis to identify performance limitations and to suggest modifications for improved performance.     

Low-Cost Multistandard Radio-Over-Fiber Downlinks Based on CMOS-Compatible Si Avalanche Photodetectors

We demonstrate a radio-over-fiber downlink based on a silicon avalanche photodetector (APD) fabricated with 0.18-$mu$m standard complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology. An 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser is used to deliver multistandard services including 2.1-GHz wideband code-division multiple access and 2.4-GHz IEEE 802.11g wireless local area network signals over 300-m multimode fiber. These signals are successfully detected by a CMOS-compatible APD (CMOS-APD) and then transmitted to a mobile terminal via wireless link. The error vector magnitude performance of each type of signal with the coexisting interferer is investigated.      

Analysis of bit-error rate of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers modulated at high speed

A theoretical study of single and multimode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) subject to pseudorandom modulation of the current at a rate of 10 Gb/s is performed. Eye diagrams, probability density functions of the power at the decision time, averaged turn-on delay, and timing jitter are analyzed for different values of the on- and off-state currents. Bit sequences where errors occur are identified. Extensive simulations have been performed to obtain the bit-error rate (BER) for the back-to-back configuration. We find that the BER performance of single-mode VCSELs is better than the one obtained with multimode VCSELs when the off-state current is smaller than the threshold current. The same result is obtained when the off-state current is larger than the threshold value, providing that the on-state current is large enough. However, BER in single-mode VCSELs is greater than in multimode VCSELs when the off-state current is equal to the threshold current. BER performance is also better for multimode VCSELs when the off-state current is larger than the threshold value, if the on-state current is small enough.     

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing in wirelesscommunication systems with multimode fiber feeds

The feasibility of using multimode fiber as an inexpensive cell feed in broad-band indoor picocellular systems is investigated in this paper. The performance of coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) for a variety of multimode fiber profiles, including stepped index and α-profile graded index fibers, is assessed. In addition to its ability to perform well in a frequency-selective multipath environment, OFDM is shown to offer good protection against the frequency selectivity of a dispersive multimode fiber. Data rates in excess of 100 Mb/s (without equalization) over a multimode fiber channel are possible, whereas they may be limited to some 20-30 Mb/s using conventional ASK modulation