TCHCS: A Hybrid Integrated Bidirectional Transparent RF-Optical Interface for Heterogeneous Data Traffic

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ECS-0636677H. Hashemi, Univ of Southern CaliforniaThe proposed program is a collaborative and interdisciplinary effort to develop a seamless interface between wireless and optical networks irrespective of RF carrier frequency, channel bandwidth, and data modulation format.Intellectual Merit: The broad technical goals are to advance the fundamental understanding and produce dramatic performance increases at the interface between optical and microwave hybrid systems. We will develop technology that facilitates the integration of hybrid RF and photonic integrated circuits at the chip level with improved performance, reduced component size, and dramatic new functionality. To accomplish this, it will be necessary to facilitate bi-directional traffic between the two domains, seamlessly convert traffic from an RF carrier wave into an optical carrier wave, transparently accommodate various bit-rates and modulation formats, process data capacities that are well in excess of any previously reported RF-optical link, and demonstrate energy efficiency in this hybrid RF+optical interface. Technical challenges involving spectral efficiency, traffic granularity, transmission impairments, RF CMOS integration, and chip-scale optical components in SOI will be studied.Broader Impact: The unique nature of the proposed research topic involves multiple disciplines such as semiconductor devices, photonics, integrated circuits, communication theory, wireless and wireline systems, and fabrication of hybrid RF+optical devices. Several graduate and undergraduate level courses related to the research topic will be offered, many of which through the Distance Education Network (DEN) to provide outreach for off-campus students and researchers. We will have internal and external student-organized seminars/workshops to disseminate outcomes of the proposed research to a broader audience in academia and industry