We design a lossless 8 × 8 Silicon Photonics (SiPh)/Indium Phosphide (InP) hybrid optical switch. The design consists of an 8-channel InP gain block for coupling to an 8 × 8 thermally tuned Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based Banyan switch in a passive SiPh platform. The gain block is an array of eight 1300 μm-long semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). We experimentally verified the InP gain block while the SiPh chip is accounted by replacing it with a loss component. The SOA in line with the optical signal path provides a net gain larger than 25 dB to compensate for the inherently large insertion loss of the 8 × 8 SiPh optical switch. The total energy consumption of the hybrid optical switch in lossless operation mode is 10.44 pJ/bit at 12.5 Gb/s.
This letter describes the design and the measurements of a 15 GHz monopole antenna implemented in silicon photonics for inter-chip communication. The antenna is designed in HFSS with its radiation pattern simulated. To confirm its operation and experimentally demonstrate inter-chip communication, the antenna is fabricated in a commercial Silicon Photonics fabrication process. Measurements include s-parameter using a vector network analyzer, and inter-chip data transmission between two on-chip antennas. The inter-chip data transmission is demonstrated using an off-chip photodetector directly as a transmitter as a proof-of-concept. Results indicate the feasibility of a monolithically integrated photodiode-antenna system as a transmitter.
We investigate the monolithic integration of RF antennas onto a silicon-based integrated microwave photonics (IMWP) chip for short-range millimeter-wave (mmW) communication. The unification of antenna with photonic integrated circuits (PICs) reduces system loss for high data rate communication by eliminating parasitic interconnects. This integration of electronics (antenna) with photonics will be a key milestone leading to increased bandwidth capability and ubiquitous wireless links for emerging applications such as 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, high data rate point-to-point communication, and wireless sensors. Through simulation above 20 GHz, we compare the transmission of three on-chip antenna structures designed in a commercial silicon photonics (SiPh) process and consider them for both inter and intra-chip communication. Results provide insight on the transmission gain variations relative to the antenna orientation from their distinct radiation pattern. The folded monopole structure provides superior gain, smaller footprint with layout flexibility, and good transmission spectra. The analysis supports the idea of a monolithic mmW transmitter integrated with on-chip antennas on IMWP chip.
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