Silicon photonic circuits and packaging for next generation optical transceivers

在基于云的应用程序和服务的推动下，全球范围内进行了大量的研究和商业化工作，旨在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），距离为0.5 m ~ 20 km；数据中心间网络运行在c波段（1530 ~ 1565 nm），距离为20 km ~ 160 km。虽然这两种系统在功耗、占地面积和所使用的光收发器成本方面具有相似的限制，但由于不同的工作波长（例如，c波段光纤的色散特性），它们是不同的。通过原始的硅光子电路设计和创新的封装，提出的研究将解决数据中心网络中的关键挑战，即增加容量，同时降低部署在这些网络中的光收发器的功耗、尺寸和成本。该研究将通过麦吉尔大学，Lumentum（渥太华，CA）和校际微电子中心（IMEC；鲁汶，be）之间的三方合作来执行。本研究涉及设计、分析、模拟和实验，并涉及光电子学、光学、电子学和封装领域。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）部门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.