Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) nano-printing of freeform optical waveguides, also referred to as photonic wire bonding, allows for efficient coupling between photonic chips and can greatly simplify optical system assembly. As a key advantage, the shape and the trajectory of photonic wire bonds can be adapted to the mode-field profiles and the positions of the chips, thereby offering an attractive alternative to conventional optical assembly techniques that rely on technically complex and costly high-precision alignment. However, while the fundamental advantages of the photonic wire bonding concept have been shown in proof-of-concept experiments, it has so far been unclear whether the technique can also be leveraged for practically relevant use cases with stringent reproducibility and reliability requirements. In this paper, we demonstrate optical communication engines that rely on photonic wire bonding for connecting arrays of silicon photonic modulators to InP lasers and single-mode fibres. In a first experiment, we show an eight-channel transmitter offering an aggregate line rate of 448 Gbit/s by low-complexity intensity modulation. A second experiment is dedicated to a four-channel coherent transmitter, operating at a net data rate of 732.7 Gbit/s – a record for coherent silicon photonic transmitters with co-packaged lasers. Using dedicated test chips, we further demonstrate automated mass production of photonic wire bonds with insertion losses of (0.7 ± 0.15) dB, and we show their resilience in environmental-stability tests and at high optical power. These results might form the basis for simplified assembly of advanced photonic multi-chip systems that combine the distinct advantages of different integration platforms.
Highlights
IntroductionPhotonic integration is a key technology that has the potential to transform a wide variety of applications, ranging from high-speed communications[1] and ultra-fast signal processing[2,3] to optical metrology and sensing[4] and Blaicher et al Light: Science & Applications (2020)9:71
Photonic integration is a key technology that has the potential to transform a wide variety of applications, ranging from high-speed communications[1] and ultra-fast signal processing[2,3] to optical metrology and sensing[4] and Blaicher et al Light: Science & Applications (2020)9:71These techniques are characterized by high cost and low throughput, thereby nullifying most of the inherent advantages offered by wafer-scale mass production of photonic integrated circuits (PIC)[10]
Chip-to-chip and fibre-to-chip connections are realized by 3D freeform photonic wire bonds, the cross section and trajectory of which can be flexibly adapted to the mode profile and location of the respective optical interfaces
Summary
Photonic integration is a key technology that has the potential to transform a wide variety of applications, ranging from high-speed communications[1] and ultra-fast signal processing[2,3] to optical metrology and sensing[4] and Blaicher et al Light: Science & Applications (2020)9:71 These techniques are characterized by high cost and low throughput, thereby nullifying most of the inherent advantages offered by wafer-scale mass production of photonic integrated circuits (PIC)[10]. Monolithic co-integration of multiple devices on a single die requires complex fabrication processes and crucially relies on tight process control to achieve acceptable yield levels This leads to significant technological overhead, which, in many cases, is in conflict with the heterogeneous and highly fragmented application space of photonic integrated circuits[13]
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