Electro-absorption modulator and monolithic electro-photonic integrated circuit comprising an electro-absorption modulator and driver electronics

An optical device comprising:

• an electro-absorption modulator (EAM);
• and
• an integrated EAM driver circuit;
• the EAM further comprising:
• a semi-insulating (SI) indium phosphide (InP) substrate;
• an epitaxial layer stack formed on the SI:InP substrate comprising a plurality of semiconductor layers structured to form the EAM, the epitaxial layer stack comprising:
• an n-layer structure and a p-layer structure;
• an i-region comprising optical material located between the n-layer structure and the p-layer structure, the i-region defining an operational wavelength range;
• the n-layer structure and the p-layer structure configured to optically confine one or more modes of an optical signal configured to propagate through the i-region;
• and
• one or more heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) of the EAM driver circuit formed from another plurality of semiconductor layers of the epitaxial layer stack different from the plurality of semiconductor layers forming the EAM;
• wherein at least one of the n-layer structure and the p-layer structure comprising a mode-extending layer.

A waveguide (WG)-device configured to modulate light and comprising a p type material, an i-type material and an n-type materials (a PIN waveguide), the waveguide-device comprising:

• a semi-insulating (SI) indium phosphide (InP) substrate;
• an epitaxial layer stack formed on the SI:InP substrate comprising a plurality of semiconductor layers structured to form the WG device, the epitaxial layer stack comprising an n-layer structure and a p-layer structure and an i-region between the n-layer structure and the p-layer structure;
• the i-region comprising optical material defining an operational wavelength range located and having a selected thickness d;
• the n-layer structure and the p-layer structure configured to optically confine one or more modes of an optical signal configured to propagate through the i-region;
• and
• wherein the selected thickness d of the i-region is related to a transit time ttr of carriers in the i-region to balance:
• one or more of:
• i) a capacitance of the i-region;
• ii) a required dynamic extinction ratio;
• and
• iii) optical confinement of the one or more modes of the optical signal through the i-region for absorption;
• where ttr=d/v, and v is a carrier velocity of the carrier.