In an announcement that coincides with the annual conference of the American Physical Society, Bell Labs highlighted some of its recent research into new semiconductor lasers, novel semiconductor materials, and other areas that could potentially help improve communications networks in the future. These areas include:
- A quantum cascade (QC) laser that emits light continuously and reliably over a broad spectrum of infrared wavelengths. Bell Labs said QC lasers initially would be used as ultra-sensitive chemical detectors, but ultimately would be ideal for optical networking.
A polymer-based optoelectronic device that can operate at more than 100 GHz. Whereas today's state of the art devices operate at 40 GHz, Bell Labs has found that certain polymers have all the necessary properties to function in photonic devices at signal frequencies up to several hundred GHz. To demonstrate the speed advantages of polymers, the Bell Labs team built a polymer-based, high-bandwidth optical amplitude modulator that operates at 130 to 150 GHz.
