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To fulfill the functionality demands from the fast developing optical networks, a hybrid integration approach allows for combining the advantages of various material platforms. We have established a polymer-based hybrid integration platform (polyboard), which provides flexible optical input/ouptut interfaces (I/Os) that allow robust coupling of indium phosphide (InP)-based active components, passive insertion of thin-film-based

We report for the first time the successful wavelength stabilization of two hybrid integrated InP/Polymer DBR lasers through optical injection. The two InP/Polymer DBR lasers are integrated into a photonic integrated circuit, providing an ideal source for millimeter and Terahertz wave generation by optical heterodyne technique. These lasers offer the widest tuning range of the carrier wave demonstrated to date up into the Terahertz range, about 20 nm (2.5 THz) on a single photonic integrated circuit. We demonstrate the application of this source to generate a carrier wave at 330 GHz to establish a wireless data transmission link at a data rate up to 18 Gbit/s. Using a coherent detection scheme we increase the sensitivity by more than 10 dB over direct detection.

A graphene-based electro-absorption modulator has been integrated into a passive polymer waveguide platform for the first time. The opto-electronic properties of the structure are investigated with numerical simulations and measurements of a fabricated device. The graphene layers transferred to the polymer substrate were analyzed by means of Raman spectroscopy and the results indicate a high crystalline quality of the two-dimensional material. The voltage-dependent transmission through a 25 µm long device has been measured in the telecommunications-relevant wavelength range between 1500 nm and 1600 nm yielding an extinction ratio of 0.056 dB/µm

In this paper we explain how to use rate equations to describe a laser that includes integrated optical feedback. We find a relation between the threshold current, the voltage drop at the gain section, output power, linewidth, and side mode suppression ratio, and show experimental results.

Recently developed photonic components for next-generation datacenter systems based on HHI´s PolyBoard integration platform are reviewed. Hybrid-integrated transmitters and receivers, including optical functionalities such as tunable lasers, polarization manipulators, 1x2 switches and variable optical attenuators, are presented. The flexibility of those devices provides the possibility of generating, routing and detecting multiple optical data flows, offering the potential of aggregating traffics of 1 Tb/s and beyond. In addition, vertically-stacked polymer waveguide structures are presented, opening the way towards the third dimension in photonic integration and allowing increasing the transmission capacity beyond the physical limit of standard single mode fibers. The freedom in the arrangement of the polymer waveguides allow for the matching to different multi-core fiber types, providing the possibility of processing in parallel the different optical flows. By means of micro-machining 45° mirrors on the different stack levels, the 3D stacked waveguide structure can act as an interface between multi-core fibers and planar optoelectronic devices such as photodiodes and laser diodes. Furthermore, a novel concept for a 4x4 three-dimensional optical switch based on 3D multi-mode interferometers is presented and numerically proven, showing potential for its application as interface between multi-core fibers and planar optoelectronic devices, as well as offering the possibility of reconfigurable NxN switching matrices

Photonic devices and new functions based on HHI's hybrid integration platform PolyBoard are presented providing lowloss thin-film-element-based light routing, an on-chip micro-optical bench and mechanically flexible chips comprising optical and electrical waveguides. The newly developed transfer and integration of graphene layers enables the fabrication of active optoelectronic devices in the intrinsically passive polymer waveguide networks with bandwidths in the GHz range. These novel functionalities in combination with the mature thermo-optic components of the PolyBoard platform such as tunable lasers, switches and variable attenuators pave the way towards new applications of photonic integrated circuits in communications and sensors.

Recent progress on polymer-based photonic devices and hybrid photonic integration technology using InP-based active components is presented. High performance thermo-optic components, including compact polymer variable optical attenuators and switches are powerful tools to regulate and control the light flow in the optical backbone. Polymer arrayed waveguide gratings integrated with InP laser and detector arrays function as low-cost optical line terminals (OLTs) in the WDM-PON network. External cavity tunable lasers combined with C/L band thin-film filter, on-chip U-groove and 45 degrees mirrors construct a compact, bi-directional and color-less optical network unit (ONU). A tunable laser integrated with VOAs, TFEs and two 90 degrees hybrids builds the optical front-end of a colorless, dual-polarization coherent receiver. Multicore polymer waveguides and multi-step 45 degrees mirrors are demonstrated as bridging devices between the spatial-division-multiplexing transmission technology using multi-core fibers and the conventional PLC-based photonic platforms, appealing to the fast development of dense 3D photonic integration