SBIR Phase I: Tunable 1550-nm VCSEL Integrated on Silicon-Photonics Platform for Energy-efficient Broadband Data Communications

SBIR 第一阶段：可调谐 1550 nm VCSEL 集成在硅光子平台上，用于节能宽带数据通信

• 批准号: 1143483
• 负责人: Christopher Chase
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Bandwidth10 inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1143483&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Tunable; 1550; nm

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address the problem of high bandwidth (100+ Gb/s), low power, low cost wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communications links of distances up to 2 km inside of data centers. These links are necessary for next generation internet/cloud/supercomputing applications. Specifically, this project will examine the lasers, which make up much of the cost and power requirements. The project will address the problem by improving an existing low cost, low power laser structure, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), to be suitable for uncooled WDM operation. Specifically, this project will study tunable VCSELs and their combination with a high contrast grating (HCG) optical coupler, which can couple surface-normal VCSELs to an in-plane waveguide with very high efficiency. The chip will include a directly modulated wavelength-tunable VCSEL and a surface-normal to in-plane waveguide coupler, which can be extended into an array for WDM multiplexing an array of VCSELs into one single-mode fiber. The Phase I goals include a theoretical model and design tools for tunable VCSELs with efficient coupler design suitable for WDM applications, and experimental demonstration and characterization of a 1550-nm VCSEL with 10 Gbps direct modulation. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is a drastic reduction in the cost and energy requirements of optical links inside of data centers and supercomputers. Companies such as Google and other large data-centric companies have been asking for this type of product in the last year to maintain the rate of growth in their data center facilities. Present WDM laser array solutions using DFB lasers require 10X the power and 10X the cost of a VCSEL-based approach. Present 850-nm VCSEL-based links, on the other hand, cannot be made into a WDM source without power-hungry TEC coolers due to their lack of precise, gridded, wavelength control. Additionally they cannot easily be combined into a single mode fiber using present device structures, so they cannot be multiplexed. Using a tunable VCSEL solves both the problem of gridded wavelength control, and an efficient coupler can combine the laser outputs without significant loss. The realization of tunable VCSELs in WDM systems will result in a 10X reduction in both cost and energy requirements in high-speed optical links for data centers, enabling the further scaling of computational power for next generation data center and supercomputer applications.

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将解决数据中心内部距离高达2公里的高带宽（100+ Gb/s）、低功耗、低成本波分复用（WDM）光通信链路的问题。这些链接对于下一代互联网/云/超级计算应用是必要的。具体来说，这个项目将检查激光器，它构成了大部分的成本和功率需求。该项目将通过改进现有的低成本、低功率激光结构、垂直腔面发射激光器（VCSELs）来解决这个问题，使其适用于非冷却WDM操作。具体而言，该项目将研究可调谐vcsel及其与高对比度光栅（HCG）光耦合器的组合，该耦合器可以将表面法线vcsel以非常高的效率耦合到面内波导上。该芯片将包括一个直接调制的波长可调谐VCSEL和一个面法线到面内波导耦合器，它可以扩展成一个阵列，用于WDM复用VCSEL阵列到一个单模光纤。第一阶段的目标包括可调谐VCSEL的理论模型和设计工具，该理论模型和设计工具具有适用于WDM应用的高效耦合器设计，以及具有10gbps直接调制的1550 nm VCSEL的实验演示和表征。这个项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是数据中心和超级计算机内部光链路的成本和能源需求的大幅降低。b谷歌等公司和其他以数据为中心的大型公司在去年一直在要求这种类型的产品，以保持其数据中心设施的增长率。目前使用DFB激光器的WDM激光阵列解决方案需要10倍的功率和10倍的基于vcsel的方法成本。另一方面，目前基于850纳米vcsel的链路，由于缺乏精确的、网格化的波长控制，如果没有耗电的TEC冷却器，就不能制成WDM源。此外，使用现有的设备结构，它们不能轻易地组合成单模光纤，因此它们不能多路复用。使用可调谐的VCSEL解决了网格波长控制问题，并且有效的耦合器可以在不显着损失的情况下组合激光输出。在WDM系统中实现可调谐vcsel将使数据中心高速光链路的成本和能源需求降低10倍，从而使下一代数据中心和超级计算机应用的计算能力进一步扩大。