QUANTUM WELL ELECTRO-OPTIC MODULATOR

• Main Authors: STARCK CHRISTOPHE, LESTERLIN DOMINIQUE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.02.1998
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make possible the operation of the modulator with a high frequency and high light power while maintaining a high degree of modulatability by disposing an n-type doped layer, quantum well active layer, non-doped layer and p-type doped layer consisting of group III-V elements in this order. SOLUTION: The electro-optic modulator including two electrodes K1, K3 disposed on both sides of a semiconductor structure is provided with the first layer 2 which is formed on a substrate consisting of the group III-V elements, consists of the group III-V element and is doped so as to have electrical conductivity of n-type and the second layer 3 which consists of the group III-V elements and is doped so as to have electrical conductivity of p-type. The active layer CA consisting of a series of quantum wells and potential barriers is disposed between the first layer 2 and the second layer 3. Further, the third layer 6 consisting of the non-doped group III-V elements is disposed between the active layer CA and the first layer 2 in order to decrease the electric capacitors existing between the electrodes K1 and K2. As a result, the time for capturing the holes in the wells is shortened and saturation power is increased.