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Micromachines
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Photonic Chips for Optical Communications
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Photonic Chips for Optical Communications

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2022) | Viewed by 43649

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Minhao Pu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Interests: integrated optics; nonlinear optics; silicon photonics; III-V photonics; nanofabrication; heterogeneous integration; frequency combs; optical signal processing
Dr. Jing Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: all optical signal processing; integrated nonlinear optics; optical parametric processes; mode division multiplexing techniques; general coupled mode theory

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The rapid growth of data traffic in optical communications (data center interconnects, long-haul transmission, metro/access networks, etc.) requires low-cost and energy-efficient solutions. The development of integrated photonic components is essential to meet these requirements as it offers significant advantage in terms of footprint, efficiency, robustness, reconfigurability, etc. In the last decade, as silicon photonics became a mature technology, significant efforts have also been put into developing different material platforms for passive, active, and nonlinear devices. The development of hybrid integration technology enables the combination of superior properties from different platforms on a single optical chip that offers low-cost and energy-efficient solutions. Steadily performance improvements and system innovations have also been witnessed because of the significant progress in new structures/concepts such as subwavelength components, metasurfaces, topological photonics, machine learning and artificial Intelligence.

This special issue focuses on the latest advancement of integrated photonic components such as lasers, modulators, semiconductor optical amplifiers, nonlinear devices, detectors, and fiber-to-chip couplers, which play essential roles in optical communication. The topics include but are not limited to the design, fabrication, characterization of the integrated photonic components and their applications for different multiplexing technologies (WDM, SDM, MDM), optical signal processing, quantum information processing, optical interconnects, data centers, optical access networks.

Dr. Minhao Pu
Dr. Jing Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Integrated photonic components
  • Modulators
  • Semiconductor optical amplifiers
  • Nonlinear devices
  • Detectors
  • Fiber-to-chip couplers
  • Optical signal processing
  • Optical communication
  • Quantum information processing
  • Optical interconnects

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

5 pages, 161 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial for the Special Issue on Photonic Chips for Optical Communications
by Jing Xu and Minhao Pu
Micromachines 2024, 15(7), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15070867 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 805
Abstract
In this era of data explosion, optical communications have endowed the digital world with the capability for high-speed, large-capacity data flow transmission [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

11 pages, 29780 KiB  
Article
Soliton Microcomb on Chip Integrated Si3N4 Microresonators with Power Amplification in Erbium-Doped Optical Mono-Core Fiber
by Xinpeng Chen, Suwan Sun, Weizhu Ji, Xingxing Ding, You Gao, Tuo Liu, Jianxiang Wen, Hairun Guo and Tingyun Wang
Micromachines 2022, 13(12), 2125; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13122125 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2733
Abstract
Soliton microcombs, offering large mode spacing and broad bandwidth, have enabled a variety of advanced applications, particularly for telecommunications, photonic data center, and optical computation. Yet, the absolute power of microcombs remains insufficient, such that optical power amplification is always required. Here, we [...] Read more.
Soliton microcombs, offering large mode spacing and broad bandwidth, have enabled a variety of advanced applications, particularly for telecommunications, photonic data center, and optical computation. Yet, the absolute power of microcombs remains insufficient, such that optical power amplification is always required. Here, we demonstrate a combined technique to access power-sufficient optical microcombs, with a photonic-integrated soliton microcomb and home-developed erbium-doped gain fiber. The soliton microcomb is generated in an integrated Si3N4 microresonator chip, which serves as a full-wave probing signal for power amplification. After the amplification, more than 40 comb modes, with 115-GHz spacing, reach the onset power level of >−10 dBm, which is readily available for parallel telecommunications , among other applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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11 pages, 1972 KiB  
Article
Demonstration of Ultra-High-Q Silicon Microring Resonators for Nonlinear Integrated Photonics
by Desheng Zeng, Qiang Liu, Chenyang Mei, Hongwei Li, Qingzhong Huang and Xinliang Zhang
Micromachines 2022, 13(7), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13071155 - 21 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3818
Abstract
A reflowing photoresist and oxidation smoothing process is used to fabricate ultra-high-Q silicon microring resonators based on multimode rib waveguides. Over a wide range of wavelengths near 1550 nm, the average Q-factor of a ring with 1.2-μm-wide waveguides reaches up to 1.17 × [...] Read more.
A reflowing photoresist and oxidation smoothing process is used to fabricate ultra-high-Q silicon microring resonators based on multimode rib waveguides. Over a wide range of wavelengths near 1550 nm, the average Q-factor of a ring with 1.2-μm-wide waveguides reaches up to 1.17 × 106, with a waveguide loss of approximately 0.28 dB/cm. For a resonator with 1.5-μm-wide waveguides, the average Q-factor reaches 1.20 × 106, and the waveguide loss is 0.27 dB/cm. Moreover, we theoretically and experimentally show that a reduction in the waveguide loss significantly improves the conversion efficiency of four-wave mixing. A high four-wave mixing conversion efficiency of −17.0 dB is achieved at a pump power of 6.50 dBm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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9 pages, 6366 KiB  
Article
Topological Nanophotonic Wavelength Router Based on Topology Optimization
by Hongyi Yuan, Zhouhui Liu, Maoliang Wei, Hongtao Lin, Xiaoyong Hu and Cuicui Lu
Micromachines 2021, 12(12), 1506; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12121506 - 30 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4288
Abstract
The topological nanophotonic wavelength router, which can steer light with different wavelength signals into different topological channels, plays a key role in optical information processing. However, no effective method has been found to realize such a topological nanophotonic device. Here, an on-chip topological [...] Read more.
The topological nanophotonic wavelength router, which can steer light with different wavelength signals into different topological channels, plays a key role in optical information processing. However, no effective method has been found to realize such a topological nanophotonic device. Here, an on-chip topological nanophotonic wavelength router working in an optical telecom band is designed based on a topology optimization algorithm and experimentally demonstrated. Valley photonic crystal is used to provide a topological state in the optical telecom band. The measured topological wavelength router has narrow signal peaks and is easy for integration. This work offers an efficient scheme for the realization of topological devices and lays a foundation for the future application of topological photonics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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11 pages, 3697 KiB  
Article
Design of Broadband Flat Optical Frequency Comb Based on Cascaded Sign-Alternated Dispersion Tellurite Microstructure Fiber
by Guocheng Huang, Meicheng Fu, Junli Qi, Jinghan Pan, Wenjun Yi and Xiujian Li
Micromachines 2021, 12(10), 1252; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12101252 - 15 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1765
Abstract
We designed a tellurite microstructure fiber (TMF) and proposed a broadband optical frequency comb generation scheme that was based on electro-optical modulation and cascaded sign-alternated dispersion TMF (CSAD-TMF). In addition, the influence of different nonlinear effects, the ultrashort pulse evolution in the CSAD-TMF [...] Read more.
We designed a tellurite microstructure fiber (TMF) and proposed a broadband optical frequency comb generation scheme that was based on electro-optical modulation and cascaded sign-alternated dispersion TMF (CSAD-TMF). In addition, the influence of different nonlinear effects, the ultrashort pulse evolution in the CSAD-TMF with the anomalous dispersion (AD) zones and the normal dispersion (ND) zones were analyzed based on the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equations (GNLSE) modelling. According to the simulations, when the input seed comb had a repetition rate of 20 GHz and had an input pulse peak power of 30 W, the generation scheme could generate optical frequency combs with a 6 dB spectral bandwidth spanning over 170 nm centered at 1550 nm. Furthermore, the generated combs showed good coherence in performance over the whole 6 dB spectral bandwidth. The highly coherent optical frequency combs can be used as high-repetition-rate, multi-wavelength light sources for various integrated microwave photonics and ultrafast optical signal processing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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6 pages, 1823 KiB  
Article
Observation of Ultrashort Laser Pulse Evolution in a Silicon Photonic Crystal Waveguide
by Xiaochun Wang, Jiali Liao, Jinghan Pan, Heng Yang and Xiujian Li
Micromachines 2021, 12(8), 911; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12080911 - 30 Jul 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1727
Abstract
Using the sum frequency generation cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating (SFG-XFROG) measurement setup, we observed the soliton evolution of low energy pulse in an Si photonic crystal waveguide, and it exhibited the pulse broadening, blue shift, and evident pulse acceleration. The soliton evolution was [...] Read more.
Using the sum frequency generation cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating (SFG-XFROG) measurement setup, we observed the soliton evolution of low energy pulse in an Si photonic crystal waveguide, and it exhibited the pulse broadening, blue shift, and evident pulse acceleration. The soliton evolution was also investigated by nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) modelling simulation, and the simulated results agreed well with the experimental measurements. The effects of waveguide length on the pulse evolution were analyzed; the results showed that the pulse width changed periodically with increasing waveguide length. The results further the understanding of the ultra-fast nonlinear dynamics of solitons in silicon waveguides, and are helpful to soliton-based functional elements on CMOS-compatible platforms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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7 pages, 2949 KiB  
Article
Folded Heterogeneous Silicon and Lithium Niobate Mach–Zehnder Modulators with Low Drive Voltage
by Shihao Sun, Mengyue Xu, Mingbo He, Shengqian Gao, Xian Zhang, Lidan Zhou, Lin Liu, Siyuan Yu and Xinlun Cai
Micromachines 2021, 12(7), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12070823 - 14 Jul 2021
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4662
Abstract
Optical modulators were, are, and will continue to be the underpinning devices for optical transceivers at all levels of the optical networks. Recently, heterogeneously integrated silicon and lithium niobate (Si/LN) optical modulators have demonstrated attractive overall performance in terms of optical loss, drive [...] Read more.
Optical modulators were, are, and will continue to be the underpinning devices for optical transceivers at all levels of the optical networks. Recently, heterogeneously integrated silicon and lithium niobate (Si/LN) optical modulators have demonstrated attractive overall performance in terms of optical loss, drive voltage, and modulation bandwidth. However, due to the moderate Pockels coefficient of lithium niobate, the device length of the Si/LN modulator is still relatively long for low-drive-voltage operation. Here, we report a folded Si/LN Mach–Zehnder modulator consisting of meandering optical waveguides and meandering microwave transmission lines, whose device length is approximately two-fifths of the unfolded counterpart while maintaining the overall performance. The present devices feature a low half-wave voltage of 1.24 V, support data rates up to 128 gigabits per second, and show a device length of less than 9 mm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

45 pages, 5710 KiB  
Review
AlGaAs Nonlinear Integrated Photonics
by Ehsan Mobini, Daniel H. G. Espinosa, Kaustubh Vyas and Ksenia Dolgaleva
Micromachines 2022, 13(7), 991; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13070991 - 24 Jun 2022
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5432
Abstract
Practical applications implementing integrated photonic circuits can benefit from nonlinear optical functionalities such as wavelength conversion, all-optical signal processing, and frequency-comb generation, among others. Numerous nonlinear waveguide platforms have been explored for these roles; the group of materials capable of combining both passive [...] Read more.
Practical applications implementing integrated photonic circuits can benefit from nonlinear optical functionalities such as wavelength conversion, all-optical signal processing, and frequency-comb generation, among others. Numerous nonlinear waveguide platforms have been explored for these roles; the group of materials capable of combining both passive and active functionalities monolithically on the same chip is III–V semiconductors. AlGaAs is the most studied III–V nonlinear waveguide platform to date; it exhibits both second- and third-order optical nonlinearity and can be used for a wide range of integrated nonlinear photonic devices. In this review, we conduct an extensive overview of various AlGaAs nonlinear waveguide platforms and geometries, their nonlinear optical performances, as well as the measured values and wavelength dependencies of their effective nonlinear coefficients. Furthermore, we highlight the state-of-the-art achievements in the field, among which are efficient tunable wavelength converters, on-chip frequency-comb generation, and ultra-broadband on-chip supercontinuum generation. Moreover, we overview the applications in development where AlGaAs nonlinear functional devices aspire to be the game-changers. Among such applications, there is all-optical signal processing in optical communication networks and integrated quantum photonic circuits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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26 pages, 5794 KiB  
Review
Femtosecond Laser-Fabricated Photonic Chips for Optical Communications: A Review
by Chengkun Cai and Jian Wang
Micromachines 2022, 13(4), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13040630 - 16 Apr 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4885
Abstract
Integrated optics, having the unique properties of small size, low loss, high integration, and high scalability, is attracting considerable attention and has found many applications in optical communications, fulfilling the requirements for the ever-growing information rate and complexity in modern optical communication systems. [...] Read more.
Integrated optics, having the unique properties of small size, low loss, high integration, and high scalability, is attracting considerable attention and has found many applications in optical communications, fulfilling the requirements for the ever-growing information rate and complexity in modern optical communication systems. Femtosecond laser fabrication is an acknowledged technique for producing integrated photonic devices with unique features, such as three-dimensional fabrication geometry, rapid prototyping, and single-step fabrication. Thus, plenty of femtosecond laser-fabricated on-chip devices have been manufactured to realize various optical communication functions, such as laser generation, laser amplification, laser modulation, frequency conversion, multi-dimensional multiplexing, and photonic wire bonding. In this paper, we review some of the most relevant research progress in femtosecond laser-fabricated photonic chips for optical communications, which may break new ground in this area. First, the basic principle of femtosecond laser fabrication and different types of laser-inscribed waveguides are briefly introduced. The devices are organized into two categories: active devices and passive devices. In the former category, waveguide lasers, amplifiers, electric-optic modulators, and frequency converters are reviewed, while in the latter, polarization multiplexers, mode multiplexers, and fan-in/fan-out devices are discussed. Later, photonic wire bonding is also introduced. Finally, conclusions and prospects in this field are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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30 pages, 1640 KiB  
Review
Spectral Interferometry with Frequency Combs
by Krishna Twayana, Israel Rebolledo-Salgado, Ekaterina Deriushkina, Jochen Schröder, Magnus Karlsson and Victor Torres-Company
Micromachines 2022, 13(4), 614; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13040614 - 14 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4726
Abstract
In this review paper, we provide an overview of the state of the art in linear interferometric techniques using laser frequency comb sources. Diverse techniques including Fourier transform spectroscopy, linear spectral interferometry and swept-wavelength interferometry are covered in detail. The unique features brought [...] Read more.
In this review paper, we provide an overview of the state of the art in linear interferometric techniques using laser frequency comb sources. Diverse techniques including Fourier transform spectroscopy, linear spectral interferometry and swept-wavelength interferometry are covered in detail. The unique features brought by laser frequency comb sources are shown, and specific applications highlighted in molecular spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography and the characterization of photonic integrated devices and components. Finally, the possibilities enabled by advances in chip scale swept sources and frequency combs are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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25 pages, 120720 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in Silicon-Based Slow-Light Electro-Optic Modulators
by Changhao Han, Ming Jin, Yuansheng Tao, Bitao Shen and Xingjun Wang
Micromachines 2022, 13(3), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13030400 - 28 Feb 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6364
Abstract
As an important optoelectronic integration platform, silicon photonics has achieved significant progress in recent years, demonstrating the advantages on low power consumption, low cost, and complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility. Among the different silicon photonics devices, the silicon electro-optic modulator is a key active [...] Read more.
As an important optoelectronic integration platform, silicon photonics has achieved significant progress in recent years, demonstrating the advantages on low power consumption, low cost, and complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility. Among the different silicon photonics devices, the silicon electro-optic modulator is a key active component to implement the conversion of electric signal to optical signal. However, conventional silicon Mach–Zehnder modulators and silicon micro-ring modulators both have their own limitations, which will limit their use in future systems. For example, the conventional silicon Mach–Zehnder modulators are hindered by large footprint, while the silicon micro-ring modulators have narrow optical bandwidth and high temperature sensitivity. Therefore, developing a new structure for silicon modulators to improve the performance is a crucial research direction in silicon photonics. Meanwhile, slow-light effect is an important physical phenomenon that can reduce the group velocity of light. Applying slow-light effect on silicon modulators through photonics crystal and waveguide grating structures is an attractive research point, especially in the aspect of reducing the device footprint. In this paper, we review the recent progress of silicon-based slow-light electro-optic modulators towards future communication requirements. Beginning from the principle of slow-light effect, we summarize the research of silicon photonic crystal modulators and silicon waveguide grating modulators in detail. Simultaneously, the experimental results of representative silicon slow-light modulators are compared and analyzed. Finally, we discuss the existing challenges and development directions of silicon-based slow-light electro-optic modulators for the practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photonic Chips for Optical Communications)
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