Image fiber optic space-CDMA parallel transmission experiment using 8 x 8 VCSEL/PD arrays

Area of Science:

• Optical communications
• Parallel processing
• Information technology

Background:

• Optical interconnections are crucial for high-speed data transfer in computing and communication systems.
• Space-code-division multiple access (space-CDMA) offers a potential solution for efficient signal multiplexing in optical networks.
• Existing parallel optical interconnection methods face challenges in scalability and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally demonstrate a novel space-CDMA based two-dimensional (2-D) parallel optical interconnection system.
• To evaluate the performance of the proposed system in terms of transmission speed and bit-error rate (BER).
• To assess the practical feasibility of the system by measuring its tolerance to misalignment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 8x8 vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and photodiode (PD) arrays for signal generation and detection.
• Employed spatially encoded four-bit parallel optical signals transmitted through image fibers.
• Implemented an image-fiber coupler for signal multiplexing and a decoding mechanism for signal recovery at the receiver.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated 2-D parallel optical interconnections using space-CDMA.
• Achieved a transmission speed of 64 Mbps per channel, resulting in a total throughput of 512 Mbps.
• Measured a significant misalignment tolerance of 25 micrometers for the PD array at a BER of 10^-9.

Conclusions:

• The experimental demonstration confirms the viability of space-CDMA for 2-D parallel optical interconnections.
• The system exhibits high throughput and robust performance, even with lateral PD array misalignment.
• This technology holds promise for future high-speed optical communication and computing applications.