Toward coherent O-band data center interconnects

Abstract

Upcoming generations of coherent intra/inter data center interconnects currently lack a clear path toward a reduction of cost and power consumption, which are the driving factors for these data links. In this work, the trade-offs associated with a transition from coherent C-band to O-band silicon photonics are addressed and evaluated. The discussion includes the fundamental components of coherent data links, namely the optical components, fiber link and transceivers. As a major component of these links, a monolithic silicon photonic BiCMOS O-band coherent receiver is evaluated for its potential performance and compared to an analogous C-band device.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

coherent communication / data center / O-band / silicon photonics

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the projects EPIC-Sense (ZI 1283-6-1) and EPIDAC (ZI 1283-7-1), by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through project PEARLS (13N14932), and the European Commission through project H2020-SPACE-ORIONAS (822002).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2021 The Author(s) 2021. This article is published with open access at link.springer.com and journal.hep.com.cn