Multi-dimensional data transmission using inverse-designed silicon photonics and microcombs

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Communications
• Materials Science and Engineering

Background:

• High-performance silicon chips face data transfer limitations.
• Advancements in optical communication, particularly wavelength-division multiplexing, are crucial for increasing speed.
• New data transfer dimensions are needed to meet growing bandwidth demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate an integrated multi-dimensional communication scheme combining wavelength- and mode-multiplexing on a silicon photonic circuit.
• To achieve high-speed, error-free data transmission for silicon nanophotonics.
• To develop foundry-compatible devices for scalable optical interconnects.

Main Methods:

• Utilized foundry-compatible photonic inverse design for device fabrication.
• Employed spectrally flattened microcombs for data generation.
• Implemented inverse-designed surface-normal couplers for chip-to-chip optical transmission.

Main Results:

• Achieved 1.12 Tb/s natively error-free data transmission in a silicon nanophotonic waveguide.
• Demonstrated multimode optical transmission between separate silicon chips using matched fiber.
• All fabricated devices adhere to standard silicon photonic foundry process design rules.

Conclusions:

• The integrated multi-dimensional communication scheme significantly enhances data transfer capabilities.
• The developed approach is scalable and offers a multiplicative improvement over current silicon photonic transmitters.
• This technology addresses the critical need for faster optical interconnects in high-performance computing.