Integrated demultiplexing and amplification of coherent optical combs

Area of Science:

• Optical Communications
• Photonics
• Integrated Optics

Background:

• Internet growth relies on optical fiber capacity, driven by multiple channels and increased bandwidth per channel.
• Future bandwidth expansion requires spectrally efficient optical superchannels using optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).
• A cost-effective method for generating and processing these OFDM signals is currently lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a flexible and compact strategy for separating closely spaced optical sub-carriers from a coherent optical comb.
• To address the missing piece in generating spectrally efficient optical superchannels via OFDM.
• To enable cost-effective generation of advanced optical communication signals.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a flexible strategy within a compact photonic integrated circuit (PIC).
• Utilizing on-chip injection locking to separate and amplify individual optical sub-carriers.
• Development of a method to process coherent optical combs for OFDM signal creation.

Main Results:

• Successful demonstration of a compact PIC for optical sub-carrier separation and amplification.
• Effective separation of closely frequency-spaced optical sub-carriers from a coherent optical comb.
• Enabling the placement of information onto individual sub-carriers for OFDM signal generation.

Conclusions:

• The developed PIC provides a flexible and effective solution for sub-carrier processing in optical communications.
• This approach facilitates the generation of spectrally efficient optical superchannels using OFDM.
• The findings pave the way for more cost-effective and higher-capacity optical internet infrastructure.