Data Center Interconnects Research Articles

Chromatic dispersion-aware Tx and LO laser phase noise independent estimation enabled by dual pilot tones in DSCM systems

In the backbone networks employing high modulation formats such as 64QAM and metropolitan area networks, data center interconnection networks using the distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with several megahertz laser linewidths dramatically degrades system performance in the equalization enhanced phase noise (EEPN). Even though digital subcarrier multiplexing (DSCM) systems are known for their tolerance to EEPN, they still cause performance degradation in this case. Therefore, the EEPN mitigation algorithm becomes an indispensable part of DSP algorithms in DSCM systems. A dual pilot tone-based chromatic dispersion-aware transmitter and local oscillator laser phase noise independent estimation algorithm is proposed in this paper to solve the above problem. Simulations/offline experiment results under 5 MHz laser linewidth and 1000/800 km transmission indicate that the proposed algorithm could bring about 1/0.6 dB improvement of the required SNR for the normalized generalized mutual information of 0.9 compared with the blind phase searching algorithm.

Quantum-Secured Data Centre Interconnect in a field environment

In the evolving landscape of quantum technology, the increasing prominence of quantum computing poses a significant threat to the security of conventional public key infrastructure. Quantum key distribution (QKD), an established quantum technology at a high readiness level, emerges as a viable solution with commercial adoption potential. QKD facilitates the establishment of secure symmetric random bit strings between two geographically separated, trustworthy entities, safeguarding communications from potential eavesdropping. In particular, data centre interconnects can leverage the potential of QKD devices to ensure the secure transmission of critical and sensitive information in preserving the confidentiality, security, and integrity of their stored data. In this article, we present the successful implementation of a QKD field trial within a commercial data centre environment that utilises the existing fibre network infrastructure. The achieved average secret key rate of 2.392 kbps and an average quantum bit error rate of less than 2% demonstrate the commercial feasibility of QKD in real-world scenarios. As a use case study, we demonstrate the secure transfer of files between two data centres through the Quantum-Secured Virtual Private Network, utilising secret keys generated by the QKD devices. %This demonstration marks a significant milestone in the deployment of QKD across Singapore, establishing a foundation for widespread adoption and enhancing the infrastructure for practical, quantum-safe communication in commercial environments.

12.1 terabit/second data center interconnects using O-band coherent transmission with QD-MLL frequency combs

Most current Data Center Interconnects (DCI) use intensity modulation direct detection (IMDD) configurations due to their low complexity and cost. However, significant scaling challenges allow coherent solutions to become contenders in these short reach applications. We present an O-band coherent optical fiber transmission system based on Quantum Dot—Mode Locked Lasers (QD-MLLs) using two independent free-running comb lasers, one each for the carrier and the Local Oscillator (LO). Using a comb-to-comb configuration, we demonstrate a 10 km single mode fiber, O-band, coherent, heterodyne, 12.1 Tbps system operating at 0.47 Tbps/λ using 26 λs. We used fewer comb lines (26 λs), faster symbol rate (56 GBaud) and higher constellation cardinality (32 QAM) relative to the highest capacity C-band systems reported to date. Through design, analysis, and experimentation, we quantify the optimum comb line spacing for this use case. We compare potential configurations for increasing data center interconnect capacities whilst reducing power consumption, complexity, and cost.

Ultra-low-power consumption silicon electro-optic switch based on photonic crystal nanobeam cavity

Ultra-low-power consumption and high-speed integrated switches are highly desirable for future data centers and high-performance optical computers. In this study, we proposed an ultra-low-power consumption silicon electro-optic switch based on photonic crystal nanobeam cavities on a foundry platform. The proposed switch showed an ultra-low static-tuning power of 0.10 mW and a calculated dynamic switching power of 6.34 fJ/bit, with a compact footprint of 18 μm × 200 μm. Additionally, a 136-Gb/s four-level pulse amplitude modulation signal transmission experiment was carried out to verify the capability of the proposed electro-optic switch to support high-speed data transmission. The proposed device has the lowest static-tuning power consumption among silicon electro-optic switches and the highest data transmission rate. The results demonstrate the potential applications of this switch in high-performance optical computers, data center interconnects, optical neural networks, and programmable photonic circuits.

Deep learning-based port-classification approach incorporating LSTM network for high-throughput data center interconnect

Deep learning-based port-classification approach incorporating LSTM network for high-throughput data center interconnect

Semi-automatic line-system provisioning with an integrated physical-parameter-aware methodology: field verification and operational feasibility

We propose methods and an architecture to conduct measurements and optimize newly installed optical fiber line systems semi-automatically using integrated physics-aware technologies in a data center interconnection (DCI) transmission scenario. We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, digital longitudinal monitoring (DLM) and optical line system (OLS) physical parameter calibration working together in real-time to extract physical link parameters for fast optical fiber line systems provisioning. Our methodology has the following advantages over traditional design: a minimized footprint at user sites, accurate estimation of the necessary optical network characteristics via complementary telemetry technologies, and the capability to conduct all operation work remotely. The last feature is crucial, as it enables remote operation to implement network design settings for immediate response to quality of transmission (QoT) degradation and reversion in the case of unforeseen problems. We successfully performed semi-automatic line system provisioning over field fiber network facilities at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. The tasks of parameter retrieval, equipment setting optimization, and system setup/provisioning were completed within 1 h. The field operation was supervised by on-duty personnel who could access the system remotely from different time zones. By comparing Q-factor estimates calculated from the extracted link parameters with measured results from 400G transceivers, we confirmed that our methodology has a reduction in the QoT prediction errors ( ±0.3dB ) over existing designs ( ±0.6dB ).

Overcoming laser phase noise for low-cost coherent optical communication

Artificial-intelligence-generated content has driven explosive data traffic growth in data-center interconnects. Traditional direct detection solutions struggle with limited spectral efficiency and distance, prompting the shift to coherent optics for cost-sensitive short-reach links. One specific challenge is integrating low-cost lasers while overcoming severe phase noise on high-order modulation formats. Here, we propose a residual carrier modulation scheme for precise and efficient carrier frequency and phase recovery. The residual optical carrier can continuously track phase fluctuations without redundancy compared with discrete time-domain pilots, and address the digital-to-analog convertor resolution reduction issue of frequency-domain digital pilots. In proof-of-concept experiments, we transmit a net 1-Tb/s probabilistic-shaped 256-ary quadrature amplitude modulated (PS-256-QAM) signal using a 3 MHz distributed feedback (DFB) laser. Our scheme improves bitrate by 41% compared to conventional time-domain pilots, achieving a record laser linewidth sum and symbol duration product of 6.89 × 10−5. This approach supports MHz linewidth DFB lasers in low-cost coherent optical communications.

Physics to system-level modeling of silicon-organic-hybrid nanophotonic devices

The continuous growth in data volume has sparked interest in silicon-organic-hybrid (SOH) nanophotonic devices integrated into silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs). SOH devices offer improved speed and energy efficiency compared to silicon photonics devices. However, a comprehensive and accurate modeling methodology of SOH devices, such as modulators corroborating experimental results, is lacking. While some preliminary modeling approaches for SOH devices exist, their reliance on theoretical and numerical methodologies, along with a lack of compatibility with electronic design automation (EDA), hinders their seamless and rapid integration with silicon PICs. Here, we develop a phenomenological, building-block-based SOH PICs simulation methodology that spans from the physics to the system level, offering high accuracy, comprehensiveness, and EDA-style compatibility. Our model is also readily integrable and scalable, lending itself to the design of large-scale silicon PICs. Our proposed modeling methodology is agnostic and compatible with any photonics-electronics co-simulation software. We validate this methodology by comparing the characteristics of experimentally demonstrated SOH microring modulators (MRMs) and Mach Zehnder modulators with those obtained through simulation, demonstrating its ability to model various modulator topologies. We also show our methodology's ease and speed in modeling large-scale systems. As an illustrative example, we use our methodology to design and study a 3-channel SOH MRM-based wavelength-division (de)multiplexer, a widely used component in various applications, including neuromorphic computing, data center interconnects, communications, sensing, and switching networks. Our modeling approach is also compatible with other materials exhibiting the Pockels and Kerr effects. To our knowledge, this represents the first comprehensive physics-to-system-level EDA-compatible simulation methodology for SOH modulators.

Parallel wavelength-division-multiplexed signal transmission and dispersion compensation enabled by soliton microcombs and microrings

The proliferation of computation-intensive technologies has led to a significant rise in the number of datacenters, posing challenges for high-speed and power-efficient datacenter interconnects (DCIs). Although inter-DCIs based on intensity modulation and direct detection (IM-DD) along with wavelength-division multiplexing technologies exhibit power-efficient and large-capacity properties, the requirement of multiple laser sources leads to high costs and limited scalability, and the chromatic dispersion (CD) restricts the transmission length of optical signals. Here we propose a scalable on-chip parallel IM-DD data transmission system enabled by a single-soliton Kerr microcomb and a reconfigurable microring resonator-based CD compensator. We experimentally demonstrate an aggregate line rate of 1.68 Tbit/s over a 20-km-long SMF. The extrapolated energy consumption for CD compensation of 40-km-SMFs is ~0.3 pJ/bit, which is calculated as being around 6 times less than that of the commercial 400G-ZR coherent transceivers. Our approach holds significant promise for achieving data rates exceeding 10 terabits.

Beyond 200-Gb/s O-band intensity modulation and direct detection optics with joint look-up-table-based predistortion and digital resolution enhancement for low-cost data center interconnects

Beyond 200-Gb/s O-band intensity modulation and direct detection optics with joint look-up-table-based predistortion and digital resolution enhancement for low-cost data center interconnects

Silica-Based Hybrid-Integrated Receiver Optical Subassembly for 400 Gbps Ethernet

A silica-based hybrid-integrated receiver optical subassembly (ROSA) for 400 Gbps Ethernet (400GbE) is demonstrated, which consists of an 8-channel silica-based arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), two 4-channel InP-based surface-illuminated photodetector (PD) arrays, two 4-channel transimpedance amplifier (TIA) arrays, and a high-frequency flexible printed circuit (FPC). All lanes of the ROSA exhibit responsivities of over 0.539 A/W, 3-dB bandwidths of greater than 30.86 GHz, and receiver sensitivities of less than −11.7 dBm. The ROSA has achieved a transmission rate of 8 × 50 Gbps for data center interconnect.

The EML-Based Coherent Receiver With High Sensitivity for Data Center Interconnection

The EML-Based Coherent Receiver With High Sensitivity for Data Center Interconnection

Dynamic slicing of multidimensional resources in DCI-EON with penalty-aware deep reinforcement learning

With the increasing demand for dynamic cloud computing services, data center interconnections based on elastic optical networks (DCI-EON) require efficient allocation methods for spectrum, access IP bandwidth, and compute resources. Dynamic slicing of multidimensional resources in DCI-EON has emerged as a promising solution. However, improper reallocation of resources can diminish the benefits of slice reconfiguration, and different resource reconfiguration techniques can lead to varying degrees of service degradation for existing services. In this paper, we propose a prediction-based dynamic slicing approach (DS-DRL-RW) that leverages penalty-aware deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to optimize resource allocation while considering the trade-off between the benefits and penalties of slice reconfiguration. DS-DRL-RW employs statistical prediction to obtain a coarse-grained solution for dynamic slicing that does not differentiate among multidimensional resources. Subsequently, through focused DRL training based on the coarse-grained solution, the accurate result for multidimensional resource slicing is achieved. Moreover, DS-DRL-RW comprehensively considers the benefits and penalties associated with different reconfiguration techniques after slice reconfiguration, enabling the determination of a suitable reconfiguration strategy. Simulation results demonstrate that DS-DRL-RW improves training efficiency and reduces the blocking rate of dynamic services by integrating slice traffic prediction and DRL. It effectively addresses both direct penalties from reconfiguration and indirect penalties from resource waste, thereby enhancing multidimensional resource utilization. DS-DRL-RW effectively handles the diverse penalties associated with various reconfiguration techniques and selects the appropriate reconfiguration strategy. Furthermore, DS-DRL-RW prioritizes the different quality requirements of services in slices, such as completion time, to avoid service degradation.

113Gbps rainbow visible light laser communication system based on 10λ laser WDM emitting module in fiber-free space-fiber link.

With the advent of the sixth-generation mobile communication standard (6 G), the visible light communication (VLC) technology based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology can effectively solve the problem of shortage of spectrum resources and insufficient channel capacity. This paper introduces one of our technical achievements, namely the construction of a near-real-time visible light laser communication (VLLC) system based on WDM, which includes a self-designed 10-λ fully-packaged visible light laser emission module, 1 m multimode fiber - 0.175 m free space - 1 m multimode fiber optical transmission link, and receiver array. In the transmitter system, we adopt adaptive discrete multitone (DMT) modulation technique combined with Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) modulation scheme to obtain maximum spectral efficiency (SE). In the receiving system, we utilize the sparse-structured reservoir computing post-equalization algorithm to achieve superior equalization performance on the basis of the traditional post-equalization algorithm. The experimental results indicate that this quasi-real-time communication system has achieved a signal transmission rate of 113.175Gbps. To the best of our knowledge, this work has set a record in the field of high-speed visible light laser communication. Therefore, the laser communication system constructed by this work, with its flexibility in deployment and high-speed performance, demonstrates the significant potential application of visible light laser communication in data center interconnection and high-speed indoor access networks.

Research Progress on Carrier-Free Phase-Retrieval Receivers

In order to deal with the chromatic dispersion-induced power fading issue for short-reach direct-detection optical fiber communication applications, such as the ever-increasing data-center interconnections (DCIs), optical filed recovery is intensively being under investigation. To date, various direct detection schemes capable of optical field recovery have been proposed, including the Kramers–Kronig (KK) receiver, asymmetric self-coherence detection (ASCD) receiver, carrier-assisted differential detection receiver (CADD), Stokes vector receiver (SVR), and carrier-free phase-retrieval (CF-PR) receiver. Among those, the CF-PR receiver attracts lots of research attention because it can circumvent the requirement of a strong continuous-wave (CW) optical carrier for the beating with the signal. Generally, the CF-PR receiver consists of only two single-ended photodiodes (PDs) and one dispersive element, for the field recovery of the quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals. Based on the theoretical and experimental studies reported so far, this paper reviews the latest progress of CF-PR receivers designed for high-speed optical short-reach transmission links.

Chaotic phase noise-like encryption based on geometric shaping for coherent data center interconnections.

The network traffic of data centers (DCs) has increased unprecedentedly with the rapid development of digital economy. However, the data transmission faces security threats in the distributed optical interconnection and intensive interaction of DC networks. In this paper, we propose a chaotic phase noise-like encryption algorithm using geometric shaping (GS) for coherent DC interconnections (DCIs). A GS constellation is used to improve transmission performance, and it is combined with coherent equalization algorithms to improve security performance. Then, a chaotic encryption is designed based on phase noise-like transformation (PNLT). The data are effectively scrambled, and the confusion level of phase can be increased. Finally, 216 Gb/s 8-quadrature amplitude modulation (8-QAM) encrypted data are successfully verified on a 240 km transmission link of DCIs. The results show that this scheme can achieve a bit error rate (BER) performance gain of 1.1 dB and provide a highly compatible solution for realizing security enhanced DCIs.

Transmitter dispersion eye closure quaternary assessment based on linearCNN with 1 × 1 convolutional kernel.

Transmitter dispersion eye closure quaternary (TDECQ) is a vital metric to characterize the quality of four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) optical signals. However, the traditional TDECQ assessment scheme is complex and time consuming, with heavy iterative operations. Therefore, accelerating the TDECQ assessment has great significance for photonic data-center interconnection (DCI) applications. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a TDECQ assessment based on linear-convolutional neural network (L-CNN) with the 1 × 1 convolutional kernel to reduce the implementation complexity. Our experimental results verify that the lightweight L-CNN can realize the accurate TDECQ assessment, without the involvement of nonlinear activation functions (NAFs). The mean absolute error (MAE) of 26.5625 and 53.125 GBaud PAM-4 signals are 0.16 dB and 0.18 dB, respectively, over a TDECQ range from 1.5 to 4.0 dB. Meanwhile, in comparison with existing CNN-based schemes, the L-CNN based TDECQ assessment scheme only needs 2048 multiplications, which have been reduced by five orders of magnitude.

Look-Up-Table-Based Direct-Detection-Faster-Than-Nyquist-Algorithm-Enabled IM/DD Transmission with Severe Bandwidth Limitation

The emergence of new applications is driving a dramatic growth in the capacity of data center interconnects. Intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD) has the characteristics of low cost, low power consumption and a small footprint. Industry and academia have conducted much research on IM/DD systems as a cost-effective solution. However, optical/electronic bandwidth and fiber dispersion are the restricting factors for the improvement of transmission capacity. Pattern-dependent distortion is an important aspect that affects system performance. In this paper, we propose a look-up table (LUT)-based direct-detection-faster-than-Nyquist (DDFTN) algorithm to compensate for pattern-dependent distortion. The performances of feedforward-equalization (FFE) only, the original DDFTN, least-squares (LS)-based DDFTN, and LUT-based DDFTN algorithms in IM/DD-based 112/140 Gbit/s four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) signal transmission were evaluated. The experimental results indicate that LUT-based DDFTN performs better with low computational complexity.

30.7 Tb/s Transmission over 400 km using 40 WDM channels of DP-16 QAM and Raman amplification without inline repeaters

Forty wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) channels of 96 Gbaud (768 Gb/s) were transmitted over 400 km of SMF using only a Raman amplifier, which was accomplished through numerical simulations. Each WDM channel comprised eight electrical subcarriers of single sideband Nyquist-pulse-shaping. 16 quadrature amplitude modulation and dual polarization modulation were applied to each subcarrier channel and so one data symbol carried eight bits. The roll-off factor in the optical subcarrier spectrum was investigated from 2% to 11%, and the change in roll-off was analyzed according to the subcarrier channel in a single WDM channel. The spectral linewidth of the light source in the transmitter was changed up to 10 MHz, and the effect on the performance was examined for a coherent transmission system with constellation analysis. The optical input power per WDM channel was optimized and the wavelength spacing between WDM channels were analyzed using nonlinear effects from adjacent WDM channels. A transmission experiment for total 30.7 Tb/s over 400 km was performed using the obtained optimal values. BER evaluation was achieved by DSP algorithms including Kramers–Kronig detection and Nyquist filtering. All 40 WDM channels exhibited sufficient transmission performance using only the Raman backward pumping of the four pump wavelengths. The proposed system can be applied to unrepeatered metro‐networks or data-center interconnects.

Low-Complexity Conditional Generative Adversarial Network (c-GAN) Based Nonlinear Equalizer for Coherent Data-Center Interconnections

Nonlinear impairments emerging from both fiber optical links and optoelectrical devices are the major bottleneck for enhancing the throughput of photonic data-center interconnection (DCI). Here, we propose a data-driven nonlinear equalizer based on a conditional generative adversarial network (c-GAN) for high-speed and large-capacity photonic DCI. Its performance is experimentally evaluated by transmitting C-band 40-channel 60-GBaud dual polarization-16 quadrature amplitude modulation (DP-16QAM) dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) signals over 20-km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF). Our experimental results verify that, the proposed c-GAN equalizer outperforms both traditional nonlinear equalizers and other data-driven counterparts, in terms of both the bit-error ratio (BER) and computational complexity. Only the proposed c-GAN equalizer can guarantee the BER performance of all 40 channels to reach the threshold of 20% soft decision forward error correction (SD-FEC) at BER=0.027, leading to a net transmission capacity of 16 Tb/s. Meanwhile, the computational complexity of the proposed c-GAN equalizer can be significantly reduced by 31.8%, 80.7%, and 98.8%, respectively, in comparison with Volterra filter equalizer (VFE), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and long short-term memory neural network (LSTM-NN) schemes.