Multiwavelength stabilization control of a thermo-optic system with adaptive reconfiguration

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Integrated Optics
• Control Systems Engineering

Background:

• Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) require precise temperature management for stable operation.
• Thermal crosstalk and external disturbances can cause significant wavelength drift in PICs.
• Wavelength demultiplexers are critical components in optical signal processing, sensitive to temperature fluctuations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate an adaptive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) control scheme.
• To stabilize the operational wavelength of on-chip wavelength demultiplexers.
• To mitigate the effects of internal and external thermal disturbances on PIC performance.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an adaptive MIMO control algorithm.
• Integration of the control scheme with on-chip wavelength demultiplexers.
• Experimental validation under simulated internal and external thermal disturbances.

Main Results:

• The adaptive MIMO control scheme significantly reduced wavelength drift.
• Wavelength drift was decreased from 0.5 nm to 0.1 nm under thermal stress.
• Demonstrated enhanced stability and reliability of the photonic integrated circuits.

Conclusions:

• Adaptive MIMO control is a viable strategy for precise temperature stabilization in PICs.
• The proposed scheme effectively compensates for thermal disturbances affecting wavelength demultiplexers.
• This advancement supports the development of robust photonic-chip-based optical signal processing systems.