Microresonator Frequency Combs as Coherent Transceiver Sources for Multi-Tb/s Optical Communications

微谐振器频率梳作为多 Tb/s 光通信的相干收发器源

• 批准号: 1509578
• 负责人: Andrew Weiner
• 金额: $ 35万
• 依托单位: Purdue University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-01 至 2018-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1509578&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Microresonator; Frequency; Combs; Coherent; Transceiver

Title:Microresonator Optical Frequency Combs as Coherent Transceiver Sources for Ultrahigh Speed Lightwave CommunicationsGeneral, nontechnical description:Fiber optics is the key transmission technology for high-speed internet and as such has a tremendous impact on society. This proposal seeks to replace large arrays of lasers commonly used to provide multiple data channels in fiber systems with a single nanophotonic device known as an optical microresonator. Under appropriate conditions the microresonator can generate a multiplicity of precisely evenly spaced optical frequencies termed a frequency comb. Each of the frequencies can be used to carry independent data channels over the optical fiber, much as different radio frequencies are used to carry different channels in radio transmission. By replacing the large array of lasers, the proposed microresonator-based light source can potentially reduce cost and complexity, while opening up new opportunities based on the precision of the frequency grid generated. Advances in this novel light source may also help move a variety of other applications out of the laboratory, including high precision time transfer for advanced navigation, environmental sensing, and precision radar. This research project will support two graduate students and should provide outstanding opportunities for broad training in areas of cutting-edge technology. An international collaboration with an advanced optical communications laboratory in Sweden is proposed in order to characterize the performance of the developed devices for state-of-the-art lightwave communications. The proposed collaboration should enhance student training by providing them with opportunity for international collaboration, both in hosting visiting researchers at Purdue and in gaining experience in an advanced communications laboratory abroad.Technical descriptionOptical frequency combs, in which a multiplicity of equally spaced optical frequencies is generated via nonlinear wave mixing in high quality factor microresonators excited by a single frequency laser, are the subject of intense research. This proposal seeks to advance the state-of-the-art in microresonator frequency combs, or simply "micro-combs," in directions relevant to their application in coherent multiwavelength optical communications supporting transmission rates of Tb/s (1012 bit/s) and above. In particular, this projects aims for the first time to realize a frequency matched set of micro-comb chips that can function as a transceiver pair, one at the transmitter of an optical communications system, the other at the receiver. In order to test micro-comb performance in a modern communications testbed and demonstrate high bit rate, multiwavelength fiber transmission, collaboration with researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology Fiber-Optic Communication Laboratory is proposed. The collaboration between Purdue (micro-combs) and Chalmers (fiber communications) brings together expertise and facilities that are difficult to find at any single institution, giving potential for significant advances. The work proposed breaks new ground both in micro-comb development and in application to advanced communications. In terms of micro-combs, most work focuses on devices characterized by anomalous group velocity dispersion, for which a well-known instability can initiate comb formation. However, interactions between transverse modes of the waveguides utilized often hinders formation of coherent, low noise combs. Here an alternate approach, which relies on devices formed from normal dispersion waveguides and exploiting different comb generation physics, is proposed. Recent work at Purdue has shown that for such devices, mode interactions can be beneficial in initiating combs and steering them to coherence. A novel microresonator structure which uses thermo-optic heaters to control mode interactions and facilitate comb initiation is proposed. The thermo-optic heaters also enable frequency tuning of the comb; the current proposal will seek to obtain detailed understanding. By developing micro-combs that can be tuned and matched in frequency, the project seeks to demonstrate for the first time micro-combs functioning as a coherent transceiver pair for communications at aggregate rates exceeding 1 Tb/s.

标题：微谐振器光学频率梳作为超高速光波通信的相干收发信源一般，非技术描述：光纤是高速互联网的关键传输技术，因此对社会产生了巨大的影响。这项提议旨在用一种称为光学微谐振器的单一纳米光子设备来取代通常用于在光纤系统中提供多个数据通道的大型激光器阵列。在适当的条件下，微谐振器可以产生多个精确均匀分布的光学频率，称为频率梳。每个频率可用于在光纤上传输独立的数据信道，就像在无线电传输中使用不同的无线电频率来传输不同的信道一样。通过取代大型激光阵列，拟议的基于微谐振器的光源可能会降低成本和复杂性，同时基于产生的频率网格的精度打开新的机会。这种新型光源的进步也可能有助于将各种其他应用移出实验室，包括用于高级导航、环境传感和精密雷达的高精度时间传递。该研究项目将支持两名研究生，并将为尖端技术领域的广泛培训提供出色的机会。建议与瑞典一家先进的光通信实验室进行国际合作，以表征所开发的用于最先进的光波通信的设备的性能。拟议的合作应该通过为他们提供国际合作的机会来加强他们的培训，包括在普渡大学接待访问研究人员和在国外的先进通信实验室获得经验。技术描述光学频率梳，其中通过在由单频激光激励的高质量因数微谐振器中的非线性混频产生多个等间隔的光学频率，是密集研究的主题。这项建议旨在推进微谐振器频率梳，或简称为“微梳”的最新技术，方向与它们在支持Tb/S(1012bit/S)及以上传输速率的相干多波长光通信中的应用有关。特别是，该项目的目标是首次实现一组频率匹配的微梳芯片，可以作为收发机对，一个在光通信系统的发射机，另一个在接收机。为了在现代通信试验台上测试微梳的性能，并演示高比特率、多波长光纤传输，提出了与查尔默斯理工大学光纤通信实验室的研究人员合作。普渡大学(微梳)和查尔默斯大学(光纤通信)之间的合作将任何单一机构都难以找到的专业知识和设施结合在一起，为取得重大进展提供了潜力。这项拟议的工作在微型梳子的开发和先进通信的应用方面都开辟了新的天地。在微梳方面，大多数工作集中在具有反常群速度色散特征的器件上，对于这种器件，众所周知的不稳定性可以引发梳子的形成。然而，所使用的波导的横模之间的相互作用经常阻碍相干、低噪声梳子的形成。这里提出了另一种方法，它依赖于由正常色散光波导形成的器件，并利用不同的梳状产生物理。普渡大学最近的研究表明，对于这样的设备，模式相互作用在启动梳子并引导它们达到一致性方面可能是有益的。提出了一种新型微谐振腔结构，该结构利用热光加热器来控制模式间的相互作用，促进梳状结构的启动。热光加热器还可以调谐梳子的频率；目前的提案将寻求获得详细的了解。通过开发可调谐和匹配频率的微型梳子，该项目试图首次展示微型梳子作为相干收发信机对的作用，以超过1 TB/S的总速率进行通信。