Ultrahigh-speed graphene-based optical coherent receiver

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Materials Science
• Optical Communications

Background:

• Graphene photodetectors offer high bandwidth and silicon photonics compatibility for optical communication.
• Silicon-based optical coherent receivers are vital for high-capacity networks using advanced modulation formats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate an integrated optical coherent receiver using graphene-on-plasmonic slot waveguide photodetectors.
• To achieve high-speed data reception with a compact footprint and broad bandwidth.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a 90-degree optical hybrid with graphene-on-plasmonic slot waveguide photodetectors.
• Utilizing balanced detection for signal processing.
• Experimental demonstration of high-bit-rate signal reception.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a receiver bandwidth exceeding 67 GHz.
• Successfully received 90 Gbit/s binary phase-shift keying signals with improved signal-to-noise ratio.
• Achieved reception of 200 Gbit/s quadrature phase-shift keying and 240 Gbit/s 16 quadrature amplitude modulation signals with low power consumption (<14 fJ/bit).

Conclusions:

• The graphene-based optical coherent receiver offers a compact and high-bandwidth solution.
• This technology shows promise for 400-Gigabit and 800-Gigabit Ethernet applications.
• Paves a new path for future high-speed coherent optical communication networks.