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Ultra-low-power silicon photonics wavelength converter for phase-encoded telecommunication signals

Ultra-low-power silicon photonics wavelength converter for phase-encoded telecommunication signals
Ultra-low-power silicon photonics wavelength converter for phase-encoded telecommunication signals
The development of compact, low power, silicon photonics CMOS compatible components for all-optical signal processing represents a key step towards the development of fully functional platforms for next generation all-optical communication networks. The wavelength conversion functionality at key nodes is highly desirable to achieve transparent interoperability and wavelength routing allowing efficient management of network resources operated with high speed, phase encoded signals. All optical wavelength conversion has already been demonstrated in Si-based devices, mainly utilizing the strong Kerr effect that silicon exhibits at telecommunication wavelengths. Unfortunately, Two Photon Absorption (TPA) and Free Carrier (FC) effects strongly limit their performance, even at moderate power levels, making them unsuitable for practical nonlinear applications. Amorphous silicon has recently emerged as a viable alternative to crystalline silicon (c-Si), showing both an enhanced Kerr as well as a reduced TPA coefficient at telecom wavelengths, with respect to its c-Si counterpart. Here we present an ultra-low power wavelength converter based on a passive, CMOS compatible, 1-mm long amorphous silicon waveguide operated at a maximum pump power level of only 70 mW. We demonstrate TPA-free Four Wave Mixing (FWM)-based wavelength conversion of Binary Phase Shift Keyed (BPSK) and Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed (QPSK) signals at 20 Gbit/s with <1 dB power penalty at BER = 10-5.
Lacava, Cosimo
a0a31a27-23ac-4a73-8bb4-2f02368fb8bd
Ettabib, Mohamed
71b98cd3-9b2a-4f73-b4c2-0f4b59cacf50
Cristiani, Ilaria
ca05c320-279d-4b2a-af71-c506b3d20822
Fédéli, Jean Marc
dfd01829-9a9a-4157-b9fe-aafa1a3d00e9
Richardson, David J.
ebfe1ff9-d0c2-4e52-b7ae-c1b13bccdef3
Petropoulos, Periklis
522b02cc-9f3f-468e-bca5-e9f58cc9cad7
Lacava, Cosimo
a0a31a27-23ac-4a73-8bb4-2f02368fb8bd
Ettabib, Mohamed
71b98cd3-9b2a-4f73-b4c2-0f4b59cacf50
Cristiani, Ilaria
ca05c320-279d-4b2a-af71-c506b3d20822
Fédéli, Jean Marc
dfd01829-9a9a-4157-b9fe-aafa1a3d00e9
Richardson, David J.
ebfe1ff9-d0c2-4e52-b7ae-c1b13bccdef3
Petropoulos, Periklis
522b02cc-9f3f-468e-bca5-e9f58cc9cad7

Lacava, Cosimo, Ettabib, Mohamed, Cristiani, Ilaria, Fédéli, Jean Marc, Richardson, David J. and Petropoulos, Periklis (2016) Ultra-low-power silicon photonics wavelength converter for phase-encoded telecommunication signals. Photonics West 2016, , San Francisco, United States. 16 - 18 Feb 2016. (doi:10.1117/12.2208766).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

The development of compact, low power, silicon photonics CMOS compatible components for all-optical signal processing represents a key step towards the development of fully functional platforms for next generation all-optical communication networks. The wavelength conversion functionality at key nodes is highly desirable to achieve transparent interoperability and wavelength routing allowing efficient management of network resources operated with high speed, phase encoded signals. All optical wavelength conversion has already been demonstrated in Si-based devices, mainly utilizing the strong Kerr effect that silicon exhibits at telecommunication wavelengths. Unfortunately, Two Photon Absorption (TPA) and Free Carrier (FC) effects strongly limit their performance, even at moderate power levels, making them unsuitable for practical nonlinear applications. Amorphous silicon has recently emerged as a viable alternative to crystalline silicon (c-Si), showing both an enhanced Kerr as well as a reduced TPA coefficient at telecom wavelengths, with respect to its c-Si counterpart. Here we present an ultra-low power wavelength converter based on a passive, CMOS compatible, 1-mm long amorphous silicon waveguide operated at a maximum pump power level of only 70 mW. We demonstrate TPA-free Four Wave Mixing (FWM)-based wavelength conversion of Binary Phase Shift Keyed (BPSK) and Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed (QPSK) signals at 20 Gbit/s with <1 dB power penalty at BER = 10-5.

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Published date: 1 March 2016
Venue - Dates: Photonics West 2016, , San Francisco, United States, 2016-02-16 - 2016-02-18
Organisations: Optoelectronics Research Centre

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 389578
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/389578
PURE UUID: 67070f9e-11dd-4879-8f9a-e1cb59db7787
ORCID for Cosimo Lacava: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9950-8642
ORCID for David J. Richardson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7751-1058
ORCID for Periklis Petropoulos: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1576-8034

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Date deposited: 16 Mar 2016 10:43
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:57

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Contributors

Author: Cosimo Lacava ORCID iD
Author: Mohamed Ettabib
Author: Ilaria Cristiani
Author: Jean Marc Fédéli

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