| Next generation networks using wavelength division multiplexing will benefit from the increased functionality of advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICS). Of particular importance are functions such as wavelength provisioning, add-drop multiplexing and packet switching that require the use of fast, dynamic wavelength conversion to reduce blocking probabilities and provide wavelength management in high traffic WDM networks.; Recently, there has been much attention on the development of a small footprint device that can perform dynamic wavelength management. One of the most attractive candidates is a monolithically integrated device fabricated with simple, wafer scale processing steps on a common materials platform that incorporates an on-chip widely tunable laser and eliminates the need for optical filtering. Such a device reduces the number of fiber interfaces between discrete components, improves noise performance, and ultimately increases system performance.; Within the umbrella of these monolithically integrated widely tunable wavelength converters, there exists a class of devices where photocurrent from a photodetector is used to change the electric field across the depletion region in a reverse biased modulator. With this approach, switching speeds are not limited by carrier modulation effects such as carrier lifetime, and extremely high modulation bandwidth products are possible.; Prior to this work, results for field modulated devices have not been able to incorporate on chip tunable lasers, have required complicated growth and/or regrowth processing steps, and have not demonstrated input to output optical gain.; The primary advancement in this dissertation is the demonstration of a field based, monolithically integrated wavelength converter with an on-chip tunable laser along with optically pre-amplified receivers. The device is capable of providing facet to facet optical gain (10 dB), operating at high data rates (10 Gb/s) with large extinction ratios (10 dB), and achieving digital system power penalties of less than 1 dB over a wide operating wavelength range (32 nm). Furthermore, as a result of a newly designed dual quantum well integration platform, the device requires only simple fabrication procedures and incorporates only a single bulk InP regrowth. |
