Direct characterisation of AM-to-PM phenomena in fast Si and InGaAs photodiodes

The direct measurement method of AM-to-PM phenomena in fast silicon and InGaAs photodiodes is described. The setup is simple, relatively inexpensive and allows fast and precise measurements not only in a laboratory environment. During sample tests, the authors have found that the influence of bias voltage on the phase shift of an optical signal conversion is significant. The reported effect together with the influence of modulation depth on phase shift (AM-to-PM conversion) has a negative impact on an optical signal reception especially in coherent applications. The authors show that, with our proposed setups, it is possible to find optimal bias voltage and optimal optical power in order to reduce electrical phase noise of the photodetector.