2009 Volume E92.C Issue 7 Pages 915-921
We present recent progress of high-speed Mach-Zehnder modulator technologies for advanced modulation formats. Multi-level quadrature amplitude modulation signal can be synthesized by using parallel Mach-Zehnder modulators. We can generate complicated multi-level optical signals from binary data streams, where binary modulated signals are vectorially summed in optical circuits. Frequency response of each Mach-Zehnder interferometer is also very important to achieve high-speed signals. We can enhance the bandwidth of the response, with thin substrate. 87Gbaud modulation was demonstrated with a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator.