Ultra Low-Power Broadband Voltage-mode VCSEL Transmit System - VOLTA

本研究计划探讨基于垂直腔面发射激光（VCSEL）的光发射系统。VCSEL二极管达到最佳性能每成本指标，因为他们提供足够的信号带宽在低偏置电流条件下（低功耗），非常低的单价。然而，VCSEL驱动程序的开发一直停滞不前，自2014年以来，最先进的速度没有提高，高数据速率（高于50 Gbit/s）的发射机系统没有达到低于1 pJ/bit的无误差（即BER<1e-12）的具有竞争力的功率效率。该项目旨在通过重新设计发射机架构以匹配VCSEL条件（如前缘功率效率的阻抗），从而将整个系统的能效提高2-4倍，同时提高电光系统带宽，同时保持误码率低于BER<1e-12。这是通过引入与无源均衡方案（消除常用的电流源拓扑）结合使用的第一个真正的电压模式发射器拓扑来实现的。

This research proposal addresses the field of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting LASER (VCSEL) based optical transmitter systems. VCSEL diodes reach optimum performance per cost metrics because they offer adequate signal bandwidth at low bias current conditions (low power consumption) at very low unit prices. VCSEL driver development, however, has been stagnant with the state-of-the-art speed not improving since 2014 and high data rate (above 50 Gbit/s) transmitter systems not reaching competitive power efficiencies of below 1 pJ/bit error free (i. e. BER<1e-12). This project aims to increase the overall system energy-efficiency by 2-4x compared to the state-of-the-art by re-architecting the transmitter architecture to match the VCSEL conditions such as impedance for leading-edge power efficiency enhancing at the same time the electro-optical system bandwidth while keeping the bit-error rate below BER<1e-12. This is achieved by introducing the first true voltage-mode transmitter topology used in conjunction with a passive equalisation scheme (eliminating the commonly used current-source topology).