Towards a revolution in optical communications

Silicon Photonics目前正在改变数据通信，并开始影响更广泛的应用。然而，Silicon Photonics现在正在走向成熟，目前商业上可用的收发器主要使用工作在25 Gb/S的调制器。下一代系统的实验室演示要么使用多个并行通道的25 Gb/S设备，要么使用更复杂的调制技术来实现更高的聚合数据速率。即使是最快的研究型调制器，在与驱动器集成时，工作速度也高达约50 Gb/S OOK(或相应的PAM4调制，达到100 Gb/S的净聚合速度)。世界各地的研究人员都在试图改进这种调制器，以将这些设备性能提高的最后几个百分点挤出，或者转向其他材料的集成，这会增加制造复杂性和成本，并可能降低产量。在这项工作中，我们发明了一种方法来改进调制器/驱动器组合，不是几个百分点，而是100%，这将导致数据速率、功耗和实现成本的显著提高。我们将演示100 Gb/S OOK和200 Gb/S PAM4，以及一种新型的光时分复用(OTDM)系统。实际上，我们已经找到了一种方法，将传统上在电子领域完成的功能转移到光域，节省了成本和能源，并显著提高了性能。该提案提供了对拟议工作的详细模拟，作为新技术可行性的准备演示。这包括以前在南安普敦制造的调制器的典型特征，现在将以不同的模式运行。因此，我们有信心成功的机会很高。电子驱动器将在南安普敦设计，并转包给台湾的台积电制造。所有的光学设备都将在南安普顿使用名为CORNERSTONE的Silicon Photonics Foundry服务制造。这种新方法已经导致了2项专利申请，我们怀疑随着我们的研究进展，其他人也会效仿。调查人员和研究调查人员都是发明者，因此团队处于开展这项工作的理想位置。

Silicon Photonics is currently transforming data communications, and beginning to impact longer reach applications. However, Silicon Photonics is now maturing and current commercially available transceivers mainly utilise modulators operating at 25Gb/s. Laboratory demonstrators for next generation systems either use multiple parallel lanes of 25Gb/s devices, or perhaps more complex modulation techniques to achieve higher aggregate data rates. Even the fastest research modulators, when integrated with drivers, operate up to approximately 50Gb/s OOK (or corresponding PAM4 modulation to reach a net aggregate speed of 100Gb/s). Researchers worldwide are trying to improve such modulators to squeeze the last few percentage points of improved performance out of these devices, or are turning to integration of other materials, which increases fabrication complexity and cost, and potentially reduces yield. In this work we have invented a way to improve the modulator/driver combination not by a few percent, but by 100%, which will lead to dramatic improvements in data rate, power consumption, and cost of implementation. We will demonstrate 100Gb/s OOK and 200Gb/s PAM4, as well as a novel Optical Time Division Multiplexing (OTDM) system. In effect, we have found a way to transfer functions that were traditionally done in the electronic domain, to the optical domain, saving cost and energy and dramatically improving performance.The proposal provides detailed simulations of the proposed work as preparatory demonstration of the viability of the new techniques. This includes typical characteristics of modulators previously fabricated at the Southampton, which will now be operated in a different mode. Consequently, we are confident that the chances of success are very high.Electronic drivers will be designed at Southampton and subcontracted to TSMC in Taiwan for fabrication. All optical devices will be fabricated at Southampton using the Silicon Photonics Foundry service called CORNERSTONE.The new approach has already led to 2 patent applications, and we suspect others will follow as we progress with the research. Both investigators and the research investigator are inventors, so the team is ideally placed to carry out the work.