Hybrid Integrated Photonic-Electronic Systems (HIPES)

在过去的几年里，数据流量一直在增加，并且需要更快的传输系统，这只能通过光子和电子方法的定向结合来实现。在技术层面上，这导致了由大量光子和电子元件组成的系统概念，这些元件通过宽带接口连接。除了单个传输系统的带宽外，可扩展性也变得越来越重要。一个例子是大型计算机和数据中心的通信，其中必须高效紧凑地实现数千个光传输系统，并且必须连接到电子计算和存储系统。在这种情况下，高度集成的光电子系统需要新的主要方法，而这种方法不能通过简单的增强从现有方法中获得。显然，从长远来看，由独立封装中的离散组件组成的经典系统概念无法满足上述需求。因此，近年来，多家机构开始开发单片集成系统。所有系统组件的高度复杂性和对共同材料系统的固定通常会导致性能和良率方面的损失。该项目的目的是探索和展示基于多芯片集成原理的超宽带光电子系统的新型混合概念。光子和电子系统在不同的、单独优化的集成平台上制造，然后在芯片级上组合。本计画聚焦于光子调制器与电子驱动电路的协同设计，以及宽频电子介面的概念。这种方法结合了单片集成方法的可扩展性和离散系统的灵活性、性能和产量。此外，该概念在电驱动放大器和光调制器之间的阻抗匹配方面提供了新的自由度，这可以大大降低功耗。利用多通道发射机模块对该新概念进行了论证和验证。

Data traffic has been increasing over the past years, and requires faster transmission systems which can only be realized by means of well-directed combination of photonic and electronic approaches. On a technology level, this leads to system concepts consisting of a multitude of photonic and electronic components, which are connected via broadband interfaces. In addition to the bandwidth of a single transmission system, also the scalability becomes increasingly important. An example is the communication in mainframe computers and data centers, where thousands of optical transmission systems have to be realized efficiently and compactly, and have to be connected to electronic computing and storage systems. In this context, new primary approaches for highly integrated photonic-electronic systems are required, which cannot be derived from existing approaches by simple enhancements.Clearly, the classical system concept comprising of discrete components in separate packages cannot fulfill the above mentioned requirements in the long run. Therefore, multiple institutions started the development of monolithic integrated systems in recent years. The high complexity and the fixation to a common material system for all system components often lead to penalties regarding performance and yield.The aim of this project is the exploration and demonstration of novel hybrid concepts for ultra-broadband photonic-electronic systems, which are based on the principle of multi-chip integration. Photonic and electronic systems are fabricated on different, individually optimized integration platforms, and afterwards combined on chip level. The project focuses on the co-design of photonic modulators and electronic driver circuits together with concepts of broadband electronic interfaces. This approach unites the scalability of monolithic integrated approaches and the flexibility, performance and yield of discrete systems. Additionally, the concept offers new degrees of freedom regarding the impedance matching between the electric driver amplifier and the optical modulator, which can lead to a strong decrease of the power consumption. The demonstration and verification of the novel concept by means of a multi-channel transmitter module are planned.