KEYWORDS: Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, Resistance, Patents, Near field optics, Near field, Multimode fibers, Fiber lasers, Data transmission
Applying coherent arrays of muti-aperture lasers was proposed to improve data transmission over multimode fiber. We propose a novel compact a coherent and incoherent multi-aperture VCSEL array design in which multiple single-mode VCSEL apertures are electrically driven in parallel. Such approach allows a high output power as in standard multimode devices but shows significantly reduced spectral width not exceeding 0.2nm as well as high speed performance exceeding 25GHz with current density ~20kA/cm2 and beam divergence of 22O (1/e2). Moreover, we study the application of such devices for IM/DD 100Gbit/s PAM-4 and 50Gbit/s OOK.
The paper presents the results of the research and development of 1300-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, fabricated by wafer fusion technique for hybrid integration of an InAlGaAs/InP optical cavity with two AlGaAs/GaAs distributed Bragg reflectors using molecular-beam epitaxy. The active region is based on InGaAs/InAlGaAs superlattice, while current and optical confinement is provided by n++-InGaAs/p++-InGaAs/p++-InAlGaAs buried tunnel junction (BTJ). The proposed device design results in low internal loss (about 3.2 cm-1 at 20 °C). The devices with BTJ diameter of 5 μm demonstrate a stable single-mode lasing with threshold current less than 1.3 mA and output optical power more than 6 mW and operation in a wide temperature range. The measured -3 dB bandwidth is more than 8 GHz at 20 °C and about 5.5 GHz at 85 °C, the eye diagrams are open with a bit rate up to 20 Gbps using nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) modulation standard. Using 5-tap feedforward equalizer, the NRZ transmission at 25 Gbps has been demonstrated up to 5km single-mode fiber.
VCSEL arrays can play an important role in the increasing the data throughput of VCSEL-based optical interconnects both due to the need to increase the channel density and due to new emerging technologies like optical wireless. In this work we show the progress in the development of high-speed VCSEL arrays suitable for multicore fiber transmission leading to an increase of the total throughput through single fiber to 600 Gbps. We also discuss a novel type of compact VCSEL mini-arrays capable of high-speed modulation and coherent emission at the same time. Photon-photon resonance and coherent effects can help increase the resonant frequency and the bandwidth of the VCSELs and enable devices capable of 100 GHz operation.
Strain-induced birefringence in GaAs-based oxide-confined VCSELs (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) can split the optical modes into orthogonally polarized components. A polarization switching at very high frequencies can occur between these components, which is of great interest for optical communication systems of the future. In this study, we focus our investigation on the frequency characteristics of the polarization switching between the optical modes, which is caused by polarization self-modulation (PSM) in fiber-coupled systems. Moreover, we analyze the PSM that is originating in different optical modes of the VCSEL and compare multi-mode and single-mode VCSELs.
We report on vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) having a -3dB modulation bandwidth above 30 GHz and a narrow spectrum down to single mode (SM) operation. The 850 nm and 910 nm SM VCSELs in combination with the IN5612 VCSEL driver from Inphi Corporation allowed to reach 106 Gb/s PAM4 with the TDECQ values of only 1.5 dB. For the multimode VCSELs, TDECQ of ~2.6 dB were achieved in combination with the same driver chip. VCSELs with the reduced spectral width allow to cover transmission distance over multimode fiber reaching 1.0-2.5 km at 50 Gbaud. Furthermore, reduction of the aperture size to a certain limit allows to reach ultimate modulation bandwidths at the same current density as applied in the large aperture VCSELs but at lower total currents and thus much lower current-induced overheating. The latter enables a significant improvement in the reliability of the devices and stimulates further research in novel types of VCSEL-based devices.
In this paper, we perform a comparison of three modulation formats: NRZ, duo binary and DMT in combination with the state of the art 850 and 910nm VCSELs for their application in short reach high speed optical links. The system for NRZ and DB utilizes feasible for deployment equalization including a 9-tap finite impulse response filter and raised cosine filtering in the transmitter and a 7-tap UI-spaced feed forward equalizer in the receiver. The 100 Gbit/s net link with DB modulation can be realized without applying receiver equalization. For DMT the highest gross data rate of 224 Gbit/s/lambda is achieved.
New applications in sensing, automotive and on-board applications require vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) operating at high data rates up to very high ambient temperatures. We study temperature stability of the 850 nm Quantum-Dot (QD) VCSELs and benchmark them to Quantum-Well (QW) VCSELs of similar design.
QD VCSELs enable extension of the temperature stability and demonstrate threshold currents below 1 mA for operation range from 30°C to 200°C. The role of gain to cavity detuning is discussed in details. 25 Gbit/s NRZ multi-mode fiber transmission with QD VCSELs is realized at temperatures up to 180°C. Pulsed operation of QD VCSELs with 8 μm oxide aperture diameter is studied at temperatures from 30°C to 125°C and 1 W peak power is realized on 100 ns pulses at room temperature.
KEYWORDS: Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, Polarization, Birefringence, Near field optics, Switching, Near field, Multimode fibers, Data transmission, Receivers, Modulation
We report high-frequency polarization self‐modulation (PSM) in high speed vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) connected to the stress-induced birefringence in oxide-confined aperture VCSELs. Polarization oscillations up to 45 GHz were captured. We analyze the far and the near field of the device and show how the fiber-coupling conditions induce optical feedback, affect emission properties of the device and influence the polarization switching phenomenon. In conditions where the PSM was suppressed, we demonstrate NRZ high-speed multi-mode fiber data transmission up to 90 Gbit/s.
Surface–trapped electromagnetic waves can be localized at a boundary between a semiconductor distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and a homogeneous dielectric medium or air. These waves enable a novel class of both in–plane–emitting and vertically–emitting optical devices including edge–emitting lasers, disk microlasers, near–field fiber–coupled lasers as well as vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). We show that the surface–trapped modes can be controlled by tuning the thickness of a single DBR layer. Diagrams in variables “wavelength – thickness of the control layer” are constructed for both TM and TE optical modes revealing the parameter domains, in which surface–trapped modes exist. The domains contain cusps, in the vicinity of which surface–trapped modes are allowed only in a narrow spectral region, enabling wavelength–stabilized operation of a laser. For an edge–emitting structure designed for lasing at ~1 μm, the lasing wavelength shifts upon temperature at a rate ~0.07 nm/K. The fraction of the optical power of the surface–trapped mode accumulated in the air can reach ~60%. In oxide–confined VCSEL structures the surface–trapped mode can be used for engineering of the interaction with the VCSEL lasing modes. Deposition of an effective (3λ/4)–thick additional layer on top of the top DBR of the VCSEL allows surface–trapped modes to reach the wavelength of the VCSEL lasing modes. Interaction of these two types of generally non–orthogonal optical modes results in the lateral leakage of the VCSEL emission. Mapping of the VCSEL wafers in areas with the variable aperture diameters D shows non–monotonous behavior of side mode suppression ratio (SMRS) versus D oscillating in the range from 7 dB to ~30 dB with three clearly revealed maxima in the SMSR at particular aperture diameters varied in the range from ~3 μm to ~5 μm. Similar oscillatory behavior was previously predicted for a different type of leaky VCSELs. VCSELs with SMSR above 20 dB are tested for data transmission over a multimode fiber (MMF). 40Gb/s open eye data transmission over 1.4 km OM5 MMF without pre–emphasis or equalization is demonstrated is such device.
Optical VCSEL-based links operating in on-off keying (OOK) modulation represent a robust energy-efficient solution for short-reach optical interconnects in datacenters. We report on the optical and electronic elements of such link and their integration into the transmitter (TR) and receiver (RX) assemblies. A single channel transceiver link capable of 40-56 Gbit/s OOK transmission over multimode fiber at record energy-efficiency of ~4.5 pJ/bit is demonstrated. VCSEL driver and receiver transimpedance amplifier (TIA) circuits capable of generating 80-100 Gbit/s error-free signals are characterized on a special test-board assembly. Real-time 56 Gbit/s transmission experiments of the complete link are done, resulting in bit-error ratios (BER) below standard Forward Error Correction (FEC) levels without equalization or signal processing.
KEYWORDS: Modulation, Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, Digital signal processing, Eye, Signal to noise ratio, Receivers, Forward error correction, Modulators, Data transmission, Filtering (signal processing)
In this paper an intermediate solution to pulse amplitude modulation with 4 levels (PAM-4) and PAM-8, namely PAM-6 is presented. The generation of the signal is based on a constellation from 32-quadrature amplitude modulation (32-QAM) and assumes the I and Q components to be interleaved, which allows its application in intensity modulation/direct detection systems. The PAM-6 modulation shows higher resistance to noise than PAM-8 and increased by 25% the bitrate for constant bandwidth when compared to PAM-4. In the paper, experimental results and a comparison of PAM-6 modulation to PAM-4 and PAM-8 is made for an electrical interface, a directly modulated 850nm VCSEL and an externally modulated 1310nm DFB laser.
KEYWORDS: Modulation, Modulators, Signal to noise ratio, Analog electronics, Refractive index, Signal attenuation, Phase shift keying, Nonlinear optics
In this paper, a study of the influence and compensation of electroabsorption and Mach-Zehnder modulator non-linarites is made for the PAM-4, PAM-5 and PAM-8 modulation formats. The compensation is made with a level adjustment by a digital to analog converter (DAC) for which number of bits exceeds the minimal requirements for evaluated modulation schemes. As figures of merit, the level distribution and eye-opening corresponding to each level is used. The results show that compensation increases the signal quality by leveraging the modulator’s static extinction ratio.
In this paper we present a 1310nm VCSEL transmission with data rates up to 28Gbps and with reach up to 25km of standard single mode fiber. 25Gbps error free back-to-back and below 2.4E-4 FEC level for 25km transmission was achieved. No dispersion related penalties were observed.
In this paper we propose and evaluate performance of the higher order mode filter for 850 nm multi-mode fiber transmission. First the operation principles of the filters are presented and then experimental validation of manufactured optical components is made in an optical transmission system. Excellent operation in the 850 nm transmission experiments up to 54 Gbit/s is shown.
In this paper, influence of the standard single mode fibre (SSMF) dispersion characteristic on the multi-wavelength 1310 nm wavelength domain 400 and 1000 Gbit/s transmission is investigated. The four-wave mixing (FWM) effect and residual chromatic dispersion can significantly limit the system performance. Limitations due to the FWM effect are studied for various types of SSMF fibre. Suppression of the FWM effect will require the channel spacing of at least 1.4 nm. The FWM effect can be suppressed in fibres with the large core area, allowing much higher input powers or narrower channel spacing. Further limitations due to the residual chromatic dispersion are evaluated and the capacity and transmission trade-off’s are studies in detail. It is shown that, the chromatic dispersion related limitations are pronounced for the wavelength channel allocation that is favorable from the manufacturing and installation point of view. These limitations can be omitted by the alignment of the wavelength channels to the zero-dispersion wavelength band and its management in the fibre infrastructure. The line rate of 40 Gbit/s outperforms the 50 Gbit/s taking into account the transmission capacity and distance. The presented results support development of 400 Gbit/s and 1000 Gbit/s Ethernet physical layer.
One of the key optical transmission components is optical amplifiers. Studies on the amplification properties of the 1310-nm optical amplifiers are presented. The evaluated optical amplifiers are semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and praseodymium-doped fiber amplifier (PDFA). The study is aimed at the dynamic operation in single- and multiwavelength domains with high rate signals. The maximum obtained gain was 25.0 dB for SOA and 20.9 dB for PDFA. For the SOAs, the minimum achieved value of the receiver sensitivity was −11.5 dBm for a single channel and −11.5 dBm for a dense wavelength division multiplexing case while for PDFA those values were −11.0 dBm and −10.9, respectively. The main advantage of the PDFA in comparison to the measured SOAs is its higher saturation power. The SOAs proved to be viable candidates for high-speed amplification in the 1310-nm wavelength domain.
We report for the first time on wafer-fused InGaAs-InP/AlGaAs-GaAs 1550 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) incorporating a InAlGaAs/InP MQW active region with re-grown tunnel junction sandwiched between top and bottom undoped AlGaAs/GaAs distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) all grown by molecular beam epitaxy. InP-based active region includes seven compressively strained quantum wells (2.8 nm) optimized to provide high differential gain. Devices with this active region demonstrate lasing threshold current < 2.5 mA and output optical power > 2 mW in the temperature range of 10-70°C. The wall-plug efficiency (WPE) value-reaches 20 %. Lasing spectra show single mode CW operation with a longitudinal side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) up to 45 dB at > 2 mW output power. Small signal modulation response measurements show a 3-dB modulation bandwidth of ~ 9 GHz at pump current of 10 mA and a D-factor value of 3 GHz/(mA)1/2. Open-eye diagram at 30 Gb/s of standard NRZ is demonstrated. Achieved CW and modulation performance is quite sufficient for fiber to the home (FTTH) applications where very large volumes of low-cost lasers are required.
To reach >50 Gb/s bit data rates using 850nm vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) at distances up to a few hundred meters, narrow spectrum single mode VCSELs are used to avoid negative influence of the chromatic dispersion that can significantly limit performance beside the mode dispersion. Currently available single-mode VCSELs suffer from small oxide aperture diameter, and thus from higher resistances and lower powers. Oxide–confined apertures in VCSELs can be engineered such that the design promotes leakage of the high order transverse optical modes from the non–oxidized core region into the selectively oxidized periphery of the device. This novel leaky VCSEL approach may allow fabrication of single-mode VCSELs with significantly larger oxide apertures, improving the performance of the single-mode VCSELs. In this paper, we investigate the high speed transmission over long distance multimode fiber using single mode 850nm leaky VCSELs.
In this paper, we evaluate the transmission throughput/range limits for multi mode and single mode 850 nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers. Transmission experiments in the various configurations like fibre length are performed. We utilize the most basic modulation format as amplitude shift keying without any form of digital signal pre and post processing. Operation up to 50 Gbit/s below 7% FEC limit was achieved for both multi and single mode VCSEL. Experiments showed that SM VCSEL outperforms MM VCSEL in both fields: transmission distances and high speed performance operating error free at 25 Gbit/s up to 200 meters and achieving two orders of magnitude lower BER at 50 Gbit/s (3.7*10-5 for SM comparing to 3.1*10 -3 for MM).
In this paper we present the results of relative intensity noise (RIN) measurements for single- and multi mode 850 nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL). The method applied for the RIN measurements is based on an electrical spectrum measurement of a biased and unmodulated laser. The conducted measurements show that the RIN values of around 150 dB/Hz can be expected from MM and SM VCSELs.
One of the key research challenges is development of energy efficient high bit rate data interconnects. The most promising solutions are based on 850 nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) and multi mode fibre (MMF). In this paper options to realize energy efficient 850 nm data interconnects are discussed and evaluated.
One of the key optical transmission components are optical amplifiers. In this paper studies on the amplification properties of the 1310 nm optical amplifiers are presented. The evaluated optical amplifiers are: semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and praseodymium doped fibre amplifier (PDFA). The study is aimed to the dynamic operation in single- and multi- wavelength domain with the high rate signals namely 25 Gbit/s. The maximum obtained gain was 25.0 dB for SOA and 20.9 dB for PDFA. For the SOAs the minimum achieved value of the receiver sensitivity was -11.5 dBm for single channel and -11.5 dBm for DWDM case when for PDFA those values were -11.0 dBm and -10.9 respectively. The main advantage of the PDFA in comparison to the measured SOAs is higher saturation power.
There is a growing demand for cost-effective radio over fiber transmission techniques. In this paper, we propose and realize the reconfigurable remote access unit for radio over fiber transmission. The reconfigurable unit is build from the tunable filter and laser as well as remote controller. Successful generation of the mm wave signals up to 83 GHz with transmission at 1550 nm is demonstrated.
In this paper, the relative intensity noise (RIN) measurements studies of multimode 850nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers are presented. The used method is based on the RF spectrum measurement of a biased and unmodulated laser. Further a method based on the oscilloscope measurements is applied. The results obtained for both methods are comparable and differ less than 2 dB. The obtained RINs were in the range from -143.87 to -139.45 dB/Hz for various VCSEL biases.
High order modulation of 850nm bare Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) has been studied. In particular, four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) has been investigated in order to reach data transmission rates up to 25 GBaud. A probe station has been designed and built as a part of the bare VCSELs high speed test bed and static characterization bench. The PAM-4 quality evaluation methods have been developed.
The growing demand for higher data rate transmissions in local and metropolitan area networks is main reason of developing effective and inexpensive transmission systems. In this paper, study about the possibility to realize 1310 nm tunable DWDM transmitter using commercially available low-cost DFB lasers is presented. Extensive DFB lasers characterization has been performed which led to establish relationships between laser current, operational temperature, emitted wavelength and power. An algorithm to find the laser settings for a desired wavelength grid has been proposed and tested. Generation of the 1310nm DWDM channels with frequency spacing between 120 and 240GHz has been demonstrated.
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