Silicon photonic circuits and packaging for next generation optical transceivers

在基于云的应用和服务的推动下，全球正在进行大量的研究和商业化工作，以提高数据中心内和数据中心间网络的容量。数据中心内网络运行在O波段(1260-1360 nm)，距离从0.5米到20公里，数据中心间网络运行在C波段(1530-1565 nm)，距离从20公里到160公里。虽然这两个系统在所采用的光收发器的功率消耗、占地面积和成本方面共享相似的限制，但它们是不同的，因为它们的工作波长不同(例如，C波段中的光纤的色散特性)。在原创的硅光子电路设计和创新封装的支持下，拟议的研究将解决数据中心网络中的关键挑战，即增加容量，同时降低这些网络中部署的光收发器的功耗、尺寸和成本。这项研究将通过麦吉尔大学Lumentum(加利福尼亚州渥太华)和大学间微电子中心(IMEC；鲁汶，BE)之间的三方合作进行。拟议的研究涉及设计、分析、模拟和实验，涉及光电子学、光学、电子学和封装等领域。它将由三名博士生、一名PDF和两名暑期学生执行，他们将接受对加拿大信息和通信技术(ICT)行业雇主非常有价值的培训。

Driven by cloud based applications and services, there are substantial worldwide research and commercialization efforts that are being directed toward improving the capacity of intra- and inter-data center networks. Intra-data center networks operate in the O-band (1260-1360 nm) over distances ranging from 0.5 m to 20 km, and inter-data center networks operate in the C-band (1530-1565 nm) over distances ranging from 20 km to 160 km. While these two systems share similar constraints in terms of power consumption, footprint, and cost of the employed optical transceivers, they are distinct because of the differing operating wavelengths (e.g., the dispersive properties of fibers in the C-band). Enabled by original silicon photonic circuit designs and innovative packaging, the proposed research will address key challenges in data center networks, namely increasing the capacity whilst decreasing the power consumption, size, and cost of optical transceivers deployed in these networks. The research will be executed via a three-way collaboration between McGill University, Lumentum (Ottawa, CA), and the Interuniversity MicroElectronics Center (IMEC; Leuven, BE). The proposed research involves design, analysis, simulation, and experimentation, and intersects the fields of optoelectronics, optics, electronics, and packaging. It will be performed by three Ph.D. students, one PDF, and two summer students who will receive training that is highly valuable to Canadian Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector employers.