ABSTRACT
The advent of low-loss fibers has been a key to the recent emergence of optical methods as the backbone
of long distance communications. The sheer amount of information that can be moved via optical
communications is destined to have a huge impact on every aspect of human endeavor. The enormous
scientific and economic potential of the foregoing fact is largely responsible for the dynamic pace of
research and development activities in the areas of optoelectronic devices and optoelectronic integrated
circuits (OEICs). These devices and circuits along with optical fibers constitute the basic components for
the physical network needed to transmit information. This network has been dubbed the information
superhighway because of the dense amount of traffic it is expected to support. Other areas is which
optoelectronic devices have found applications are optical storage systems and entertainment systems,
such as compact disks.
