Origin of modulation‐induced mode partition and Gb/s system performance of highly single‐mode 1.5 μm distributed feedback lasers

Modulation‐induced mode partition in distributed feedback lasers was investigated by photon statistics and bit‐error‐rate measurements. Its origin is explained for the first time in terms of the transient index changes and the resulting corrugation dephasing. We also propose device screening and desirable parameters for error‐free operation.