Multi-channel silicon photonic receiver based on ring-resonators.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and optical communications
• Integrated silicon photonics
• Semiconductor device fabrication

Background:

• Monolithic integration of optical components is crucial for advanced communication systems.
• Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform offers a robust foundation for photonic integrated circuits.
• High-speed photodetectors are essential for achieving high data rates in optical receivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a high-performance, monolithically integrated multi-channel optical receiver.
• To leverage silicon-based ring resonators and germanium-on-silicon photodetectors for enhanced functionality.
• To achieve a high aggregate data rate for optical communication applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 1x8 array of silicon ring-resonator filters on an SOI platform.
• Integration of high-speed waveguide germanium-on-silicon (Ge-on-Si) photodetectors.
• Characterization of optical channel spacing, responsivity, data rate, and receiver sensitivity.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 1.5 nm optical channel spacing.
• Observed Ge-on-Si photodetector responsivity of approximately 1.0 A/W across the 1554-1564 nm wavelength range.
• Demonstrated individual channel data rates of 20 Gbps, leading to an aggregate data rate of 160 Gbps.
• Measured optical input sensitivity between -20 dBm and -21 dBm per channel at 10 Gbps with a Bit Error Rate (BER) of 1 x 10(-11).

Conclusions:

• The demonstrated monolithically integrated multi-channel receiver exhibits high performance suitable for advanced optical communication systems.
• The use of SOI platform, silicon ring resonators, and Ge-on-Si photodetectors enables efficient and high-speed optical signal reception.
• This integrated receiver design offers a promising solution for increasing data throughput in next-generation networks.