Multi-dimensional data transmission using inverse-designed silicon photonics and microcombs
Ki Youl Yang, Chinmay Shirpurkar, Alexander D. White, Jizhao Zang, Lin Chang, Farshid Ashtiani, Melissa A. Guidry, Daniil M. Lukin, Srinivas Varma Pericherla, Joshua Yang, Hyounghan Kwon, Jesse Lu, Geun Ho Ahn, Kasper Van Gasse, Yan Jin, Su‐Peng Yu, Travis C. Briles, Jordan R. Stone, David R. Carlson, Hao Song, Kaiheng Zou, Huibin Zhou, Kai Pang, Han Hao, Lawrence Trask, Mingxiao Li, Andy Netherton, Lior Rechtman, Jeffery S. Stone, Jinhie Skarda, Logan Su, Dries Vercruysse, Jean-Philippe W. MacLean, Shahriar Aghaeimeibodi, Ming-Jun Li, David A. B. Miller, Dan M. Marom, Alan E. Willner, John E. Bowers, Scott B. Papp, Peter J. Delfyett, Firooz Aflatouni, Jelena Vučković
Abstract
The use of optical interconnects has burgeoned as a promising technology that can address the limits of data transfer for future high-performance silicon chips. Recent pushes to enhance optical communication have focused on developing wavelength-division multiplexing technology, and new dimensions of data transfer will be paramount to fulfill the ever-growing need for speed. Here we demonstrate an integrated multi-dimensional communication scheme that combines wavelength- and mode- multiplexing on a silicon photonic circuit. Using foundry-compatible photonic inverse design and spectrally flattened microcombs, we demonstrate a 1.12-Tb/s natively error-free data transmission throughout a silicon nanophotonic waveguide. Furthermore, we implement inverse-designed surface-normal couplers to enable multimode optical transmission between separate silicon chips throughout a multimode-matched fibre. All the inverse-designed devices comply with the process design rules for standard silicon photonic foundries. Our approach is inherently scalable to a multiplicative enhancement over the state of the art silicon photonic transmitters.