Laser and photodiode requirements for analog photonics

This paper briefly reviews the laser and photodiode requirements for high-performance intensity-modulation, direct-detection (IMDD) photonic links. A more thorough analysis is provided in two recent review articles and the references therein. As it is relevant to ongoing avionic programs, we also report on the performance of an erbium-glass microchip laser and a high-power partially-depleted-absorber (PDA) photodiode for analog applications.