Provided is an electro-absorption modulator that includes a substrate, a mesa structure, a first conductivity type electrode, and a second conductivity type electrode. The first conductivity type electrode includes a mesa-top electrode, a pad electrode, and a lead-out wire electrode. The mesa structure has a light input end, to which light is to be input from outside, and a light output end, which is on a side of the mesa structure that is opposite of the light input end. A connection position between a center position in a short-side direction of the lead-out wire electrode and the mesa-top electrode is closer to the light output end side in a long-side direction of the mesa-top electrode. The connection position is a position that is less than 50% from the light output end side with respect to a length in the long-side direction of the mesa-top electrode.

An electro-absorption modulator 100 including a quantum well 102 configured to provide a variable electromagnetic absorption spectrum in response to an applied electric field, wherein the quantum well is a type-II quantum well comprising two material layers, each material layer having a graded material composition, such that the potential in each material layer varies as a function of position.

An electro-absorption modulator (EAM) configured to receive light and output a modulated optical signal. The EAM may include a current source used to set a predetermined modulation performance and an output power of the EAM. The current source is set to provide a constant current and constant bias for the electro-absorption modulator, where the EAM automatically self-adjusts to detuning changes between the EAM and the optical light source to maintain a predetermined modulation performance and output power of the EAM.

An optical transceiver including a submount, a Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM), bonding wires, and a low pass filter type matching network is provided. The MZM includes an input port and an output port and disposed on the submount. The bonding wires are coupled to the submount and the MZM. The low pass filter type matching network is coupled to the bonding wires and is configured to absorb inductance of the bonding wires at a high frequency.

An optical interferometer device is provided including a waveguide interferometer. The waveguide interferometer includes first and second waveguide arms in a waveguide plane, each waveguide arm including a n-type region and a p-type region forming a junction. The n-type region and the p-type region of the second waveguide arm are translationally symmetric with respect to the n-type region and the p-type region, respectively, of the first waveguide arm in the waveguide plane.

An optical device includes an active layer that includes at least two outer barriers and at least one coupled quantum well that is inserted between the at least two outer barriers. Each coupled quantum well includes at least three quantum well layers and at least two coupling barriers that are respectively provided between the at least three quantum well layers. Thicknesses of two quantum well layers disposed at opposite end portions of the at least three quantum well layers are less than a thickness of the other quantum well layer disposed between the two quantum well layers disposed at the opposite end portions. A bandgap of the two quantum well layers disposed at the opposite end portions may be higher than a bandgap of the other quantum well layer disposed between the two quantum well layers.

A photonic chip. In some embodiments, the photonic chip includes a waveguide; and an optically active device comprising a portion of the waveguide. The waveguide may have a first end at a first edge of the photonic chip; and a second end, and the waveguide may have, everywhere between the first end and the second end, a rate of change of curvature having a magnitude not exceeding 2,000/mm.sup.2.

A wideband electro-absorption modulating (EAM) device is configured to include a ground shield that functions to minimize the spread of an applied AC voltage beyond the limits of the modulator's electrode. The ground shield includes a grounding electrode disposed in a spaced-apart relationship with the modulator electrode along the ridge of the EAM structure, and a grounding termination used to couple the grounding electrode to a suitable ground location. The ground location may be either on-chip (such as the DC ground of the modulator itself) or off-chip (via an off-chip capacitor, with a wirebond connecting the grounding electrode to the capacitor). The use of a ground shield mitigates the effects that changes in the data rate have on effective length of the modulator as seen by the applied data signal.

Multilevel optical intensity modulation high in accuracy is performed using electro-absorption optical modulators. There is provided a plurality of EA modulators connected in series in a path of an optical signal from a light source, and a multilevel-coded modulated optical signal is generated by modulating an intensity of an input optical signal from the light source based on a modulation signal using the EA modulators. Each of the EA modulators is switched between an ON state and an OFF state of optical absorption in accordance with the modulation signal. Regarding an extinction ratio of the ON state to the OFF state in each of the EA modulators, the EA modulators have respective values difference from each other, and are arranged in ascending order of the extinction ratio from the light source side.

An optical communication device is configured to include: a laser diode that outputs light; an EA modulator including a cathode and an anode, to modulate the light output from the laser diode on the basis of a high-frequency signal applied between the cathode and the anode; a resistor connected between the cathode and the anode; and a pattern line connected in series with the resistor and having an inductance component, in which each of the laser diode and the EA modulator is formed on a front surface of the high-frequency line substrate or a back surface of the high-frequency line substrate, and the pattern line is formed on a side face of the high-frequency line substrate.