Recent advances in the performance and reliability of InGaAsP LED's for lightwave communication systems

High radiance LED's are being exploited in lightwave applications where their low cost, wide temperature range of operation, and outstanding reliability outweigh the power and modulation advantages of injection laser diodes. Development activity and commercial offerings of LED's have been rapidly moving toward InGaAsP LED's to take advantage of the low attenuation and chromatic dispersion minimum at the 1.3-µm emission wavelength. This paper reviews recent advances in the performance, reliability, and system application of InGaAsP LED's.