GaInAsP/InP Attenuator Integrated Waveguide Photodetector (AIPD) Based on the Franz-Keldysh Effect

A waveguide photodetector monolithically integrated with an optical attenuator based on the Franz-Keldysh effect at the input section is proposed. The effective sensitivity of the device can be controlled by applying the reverse bias at the attenuator section. Using this device, the realization of a receiver module with low power consumption and small signal distortion under high input power can be expected. In our first demonstration, the intrinsic sensitivity of the device without attenuation is 0.25 A/W. The largest variable sensitivity range of 11 dB is realized at the reverse bias of 32 V.