Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research Institute of Microelectronics (A*STAR IME) says its researchers have developed a silicon-based optical modulator that would support data rates 50% faster than current Ethernet standards over long-distance fiber-optic networks. The modulators can be manufactured via existing CMOS industry fabrication processes, the organization asserts.
The device exhibits what A*STAR IME asserts is a record-high extinction ratio of 5.5 dB at 50 Gbps, which leads to the highest reported immunity against data distortion, the organization adds. IME also says the modulator would need 50% less input power than conventional alternatives.
The modulator supplies on-off keying (OOK) modulation, but the technology also could be used to produce such multilevel modulation formats as QPSK and DP-QPSK. Use in these latter applications will support 100 Gbps and 200 Gbps data rates, respectively.
“By applying a novel structure design, our team was able to achieve a precisely-defined P-N junction profile that can reach high modulation speed without compromising optical signal quality, which has troubled designers in the past,” explains Dr Tu Xiaoguang, the IME scientist involved in the project. “This leads to the remarkable performance of the silicon modulator. Work is underway to develop new designs for pushing the switching speed further.”
“Silicon photonics offers promising solutions to marry photonic functionality with electronic intelligence,” adds Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, IME’s executive director. “With the results achieved using CMOS technology, we expect IME’s silicon modulator to offer a distinct lead that is competitive with optical modulators in the market.”
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