High performance InP-based Mach-Zehnder modulators for 10 to 100 Gb/s optical fiber transmission systems

Indium Phosphide-based Mach-Zehnder modulators (IPMZ) are a preferred transmitter solution for currently deployed optical fiber transmission links from 10 Gb/s to 100 Gb/s. The series push-pull travelling wave electrode architecture is flexible enough to provide IPMZ designs that span the entire spectrum with ease. By simple changes in electrode geometry, IPMZs can be fabricated which exhibit world record bandwidths at one extreme, and compact low voltage performance at the other extreme, all the while maintaining low cost and the potential for complex monolithic integration.