Super-broadband on-chip continuous spectral translation unlocking coherent optical communications beyond conventional telecom bands

Abstract

Today’s optical communication systems are fast approaching their capacity limits in the conventional telecom bands. Opening up new wavelength bands is becoming an appealing solution to the capacity crunch. However, this ordinarily requires the development of optical transceivers for any new wavelength band, which is time-consuming and expensive. Here, we present an on-chip continuous spectral translation method that leverages existing commercial transceivers to unlock the vast and currently unused potential new wavelength bands. The spectral translators are continuous-wave laser pumped aluminum gallium arsenide on insulator (AlGaAsOI) nanowaveguides that provide a continuous conversion bandwidth over an octave. We demonstrate coherent transmission in the 2-μm band using well-developed conventional C-band transmitters and coherent receivers, as an example of the potential of the spectral translators that could also unlock communications at other wavelength bands. We demonstrate 318.25-Gbit s−1 Nyquist wavelength-division multiplexed coherent transmission over a 1.15-km hollow-core fibre using this approach. Our demonstration paves the way for transmitting, detecting, and processing signals at wavelength bands beyond the capability of today’s devices.

Design and Construction of an Optical Communication System: Utilizing High‐Performance Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite‐Based Photodetectors

“…The selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern, calculated from the inset, confirmed the highly uniform crystallinity of the crystal. The ( 115), (233), and (32 2)crystal planes were exposed in the [12,13,5] zone axis, revealing the single crystalline nature of MAPbI 3 tetragonal phase crystals with this orientation. Further observation of the crystal morphology was performed at a resolution of 10 nm, as shown in Figure 2b, where the appearance of each particle and lattice fringes can be clearly observed.…”

“…Optical communication holds paramount significance in modern communication technology due to its numerous advantages, including high‐speed data transmission, long‐range connectivity, robust resistance to interference, and exceptional security features. [ 1–5 ] It serves as an effective supplementary means to existing wireless radio frequency communication and finds extensive applications in areas such as visual communication, integration of lighting and communication, and automotive information interaction. [ 6–9 ] To ensure the reliability and efficiency of optical communication systems, higher requirements are placed on the performance of photodetectors, such as high responsivity, high detectivity, low dark current, and low noise characteristics.…”

Engineered octave frequency comb in integrated chalcogenide dual-ring microresonators

“…Xia et al (2022a), which was measured using the Z-scan method. To achieve a broadband microcomb covering the NIR and MIR region in the DRMs, a 1.75-μm pump laser is utilized, which can be available from a commercial DFB continuous-wave laser and a home-developed all-fiber short-wavelength (1650-1800 nm) thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA) (Kong et al, 2022).…”

“…In this work, broadband and flat optical frequency comb generation in DRMs based on a home-developed chalcogenide glass (Ge 25 Sb 15 S 60 ), due to its wide transmission window from 0.5 to 10 μm, is theoretically investigated to obtain an octave-range microcomb spanning the nearinfrared and the mid-infrared (MIR) region for various applications including coherent optical communications (Kong et al, 2022), and gas molecular absorption footprints (Tan et al, 2021). The characteristics of supermode coupling and integrated dispersion of DRMs are studied to achieve local anomalous dispersion by mode hybridization between the inner and outer microresonators in DRM systems.…”

Design of an on-chip wavelength conversion device assisted by an erbium-ytterbium co-doped waveguide amplifier

“…Nonetheless, the absence of commercial 2 μm lasers, modulators, and detectors poses a significant challenge in constructing a comprehensive transceiver system for the 2 μm band. The development of these essential devices is often costly and time-consuming [ 6 ].…”