OPTICAL MODULATION
Types of Optical Modulation
Direct modulation is done by superimposing the
modulating (message) signal on the driving current
External modulation is done after the light is generated;
the laser is driven by a dc source and it is modulated
using an external modulator
Both these schemes may be implemented with either
digital or analog modulating signals
Direct Modulation of Semiconductor Laser
The simplest and cheapest method of EO conversion is that of
directly modulating a CW laser
Semiconductor lasers are biased appropriately in order for
them to emit light
If the electronic signal to be transmitted over the fiber is applied
to an appropriately biased laser, the output optical power of the
laser varies almost linearly with the signal applied to it
However, there is a limited linear region in the lasers response
to an RF voltage applied to it
Direct Modulation
The message signal (ac) is superimposed on the
bias current (dc) which modulates the laser
Robust and simple, hence widely used
Direct Modulation of Semiconductor Laser
Direct Modulation of Semiconductor Laser
In order to accommodate the entire peak-to-peak variations in
the input electronic signal, the laser has to be biased to the
operating point of Ibias using a DC source
The RF signal is then superimposed on the DC source
The output optical power is related to the input current I by the
following relation:
Direct Modulation of Semiconductor Laser
Here L denotes the lasers quantum efficiency,
h denotes Planks constant,
f is the frequency of the emitted photon and
q is an electrons charge
The lasers quantum efficiency is defined as the average
number of photons generated per electron
Direct Analog Modulation
Direct Digital Modulation
Optical
Power
(P) P(t)
Ith
I1
I2
t
Current (I)
I(t)
t
Issues With Direct Modulation
Although the direct modulation of semiconductor lasers is a
low-complexity and cost-effective method of generating
intensity modulated optical signals, it is limited to low-frequency
electronic signals (< 1 Gbps)
Changes in modulating signal changes the carrier density
which in turn changes the refractive index
The changes in refractive index causes variations in the center
frequency of the laser chirp
Delay between the time electrical power is applied to the time
laser starts to produce coherent light Turn on delay
The Chirped Pulse
Issues With Direct Modulation - Chirp
This pulse increases its frequency linearly in time (from red to blue)
External Optical Modulation
Modulation and light generation are separated
Offers much wider bandwidth up to 60 GHz
Expensive
External Modulation
In order to avoid the impairments imposed by direct modulation
of the laser using high-bandwidth signals, typically external
modulators are used
We will study two types of external modulators that are most
commonly used:
1. Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM)
2. Electro-absorption Modulator (EAM)
Mach-Zehnder modulator
Single drive MZM
Mach-Zehnder modulator
v
Pi Po
Applying V will cause a phase shift for the propagating
mode
Mach-Zehnder modulator
Applied voltage causes variation in propagation constant.
u ( x, y , z ) u ( x, y )e i z
2 neff
where k = constant
neff neff V 0 kV
Mach-Zehnder Modulator
In order to achieve amplitude modulation, the optical input of
the MZM is split in two paths, path 1 and path 2 with the aid of
the optical waveguides
Initially, the optical signals in each path have the same phase
1 and 2 , therefore, 1 2 = 0
Each optical waveguide is surrounded by electrodes which are
connected to the DC bias voltage and the modulating signal
voltage
These voltages are used to vary the phase of the optical signal
in in path 1 and path 2 with the aid of the so-called linear
electro-optic effect
Mach-Zehnder Modulator
This electro-optic phenomenon typically occurs in nonlinear
optical mediums such as optical crystals, where the application
of an external electric field changes the refractive index of the
crystal
When light is passed through such a crystal, its phase is
modulated due to variation in the refractive index caused by the
amplitude variations of the applied modulating voltage
In the absence of the modulating voltage, the DC bias voltages
keep the refractive index of the crystals at values such that no
phase variation is imposed on the signals in path1 and path2
Mach-Zehnder Modulator
With the application of the modulating voltage, the phase of the
optical signals in path 1 and path 2 changes in proportion to the
amplitude of the applied modulating voltage
The phase shifts induced by the drive signals in the two arms
are of the opposite sense, but equal in magnitude
When the phase-modulated optical signals in path1 and path2
are superimposed, they result in an optical signal whose
amplitude depends upon the phase difference
So difference in the phase 1 and 2 results in amplitude
variations of the optical signal at the output of the MZM
Mach-Zehnder modulator
Ain2 i1 2
Pout A 2
out e ei2
4
cos 1 cos 2 sin 1 sin 2
2
i1 i2 2 2
e e
cos 2 1 cos 2 2 2 cos 1 cos 2
sin 2 1 sin 2 2 2sin 1 sin 2
Pin
Pout 1 cos 1 2
2
Electroabsorption Modulator
The second major type of optical intensity modulators is
constituted by the Electro-absorption Modulator (EAM)
In EAM, the absorption coefficient of a material is modulated in
response to the external voltage
The light-absorption of the material directly modulates the
intensity of the optical signal passing through it
EAMs are primarily manufactured using semiconductor
materials, such as for example Indium Gallium Arsenide
(InGaAs) and Indium Aluminum Arsenide (InAlAs)
Electroabsorption Modulator
D.G. Moodie, A.D. Ellis, C.W. Ford, Generation of 6.3 ps optical pulses at a 10 GHz repetition rate using a packaged electroabsorption
modulator and dispersion decreasing fibre. Electron. Lett. 30(20), 1700 (1994)
Electroabsorption Modulator
The mathematical relationship of the output optical field of an
EAM versus the input optical field can be written as:
Where () and () represent the input and output optical
fields respectively,
represents the power transfer function of the modulator,
while is the chirp factor
Electroabsorption Modulator
The power transfer function of the EAM can be written as:
Where m is the modulation index of the modulator
D(t) is the instantaneous value of the data signal applied to it
EAMs are eminently suitable for integration with the
semiconductor lasers and PDs used in the optical link since all
of them are manufactured from Indium Gallium Arsenide
(InGaAs) and Indium Aluminium Arsenide (InAlAs)
Electroabsorption Modulator
EAM can operate with much lower voltages (a few volts instead
of ten volts or more)
They can be operated at very high speed; a modulation
bandwidth of tens of gigahertz can be achieved, which makes
these devices useful for optical fiber communication
A convenient feature is that an EAM can be integrated with
distributed feedback laser diode on a single chip to form a data
transmitter in the form of a photonic integrated circuit
END
