Abstract
We have successfully demonstrated all-optical wavelength conversion of a 640-Gbit/s line-rate return-to-zero differential phase-shift keying (RZ-DPSK) signal based on low-power four wave mixing (FWM) in a silicon photonic chip with a switching energy of only ~110 fJ/bit. The waveguide dispersion of the silicon nanowire is nano-engineered to optimize phase matching for FWM and the switching power used for the signal processing is low enough to reduce nonlinear absorption from two-photon-absorption (TPA). These results demonstrate that high-speed wavelength conversion is achievable in silicon chips with high data integrity and indicate that high-speed operation can be obtained at moderate power levels where nonlinear absorption due to TPA and free-carrier absorption (FCA) is not detrimental. This demonstration can potentially enable high-speed optical networks on a silicon photonic chip.
Highlights
Optical signal processing has been studied intensely over the last two decades, due to its potential for increased speed and in some contexts lower power consumption in future optical communication networks [1,2]
The signal processing takes place at the aggregate bit rate, and here we experimentally demonstrate that it is possible to operate at ultra-high bit rates such as 640 Gbit/s by low-power Four-wave mixing (FWM) in a 3.6-mm long silicon nanowire with a switching energy of ~110 fJ/bit
We report the first demonstration of siliconbased all-optical wavelength conversion of data signals with up to 640 bit/s line-rate using FWM in a 3.6-mm long silicon nanowire, clearly showing the potential of ultra-high speed optical signal processing in silicon
Summary
Optical signal processing has been studied intensely over the last two decades, due to its potential for increased speed and in some contexts lower power consumption in future optical communication networks [1,2]. This is the fastest photonic chip (595 Gbit/s net rate) demonstrated to date and this demonstration can potentially enable high-speed optical networks on a silicon photonic chip. Silicon-based optical signal processing has been demonstrated above 10 Gbit/s using different techniques to overcome these freecarrier induced speed limitations [11,12,13,19,20,21,22], including the use of a reverse-biased p-i-n diode structure for sweeping out the free carriers [20], a slot waveguide filled by a nonlinear material with simultaneous large Kerr coefficient and low absorption [13], or operation in the power regime where this nonlinear absorption is negligible [10,22]. The silicon nanowire is operated below significant TPA, reducing the effect of photo-induced carriers, thereby favoring the ultra-fast Kerr-effect based FWM
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