OPTICAL SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING ELECTRO-ABSORPTION EFFECT

摘要

PURPOSE:To provide an optical semiconductor device which can differentiate incident light, has a simpler structure and faster speed of response than the conventional example has, and is reduced in power consumption. CONSTITUTION:An optical semiconductor device is provided with an optical semiconductor element 10 having such an electro-absorption effect that the light absorbing amount of the element 10 changes when the electric field impressed upon the element 10 changes and a DC power source 30 for applying reverse bias voltage which impresses a prescribed voltage upon the element 10 so that a prescribed light absorbing amount can be generated in the element 10. By making signal light to be differentiated optically incident to the element 10, differentiated light which is generated by differentiating the signal light is obtained from the element 10 by utilizing the electric field screening effect of the element 10.