Hybrid Integrated Photonic-Electronic Systems (HIPES)
Final Report Abstract
The aim of the project was to investigate and demonstrate novel hybrid concepts for photonic-electronic systems based on the principle of multi-chip integration. In this context, photonic and electronic components were realized on different integration platforms optimized for the respective component and subsequently combined at chip level. To optimize the electro-optic modulators a theoretical model was developed. Which allows the optimization of the devices with respect to optical losses and bandwidth. The predicted electro-optical bandwidth exceeds 100 GHz at relatively low optical losses. Based on this model, a new generation of SOH modulators are designed and fabricated in a silicon photonic foundry. This new generation of modulators are used for the final demonstration of the packaged module. The bandwidth of the devices shows a significant improvement compared to the previous generation. In combination with the first generation of SOH modulators, a novel electro-optic material was evaluated in accordance with Telcordia standards for high-temperature storage. We could demonstrate improved longterm stability in accordance with Telcordia standards for high-temperature storage. Furthermore, the performance of the devices was demonstrated in a high-speed data transmission experiment at a data rate of 40 Gbit/s. For a first generation of electrical package, we developed a process to manufacture high-resolution ceramic PCBs. Based on this, we could demonstrate for the first time that electrical packaging of high-speed SOH modulators is possible without significantly degrading the performance of the devices. Based on this packaging concept and technology the package of the module containing SOH modulator and electrical driver was developed. Extensive modelling of the SOH modulator structures provided a circuit model to be used in the simulation tools for designing the driver. Two driver concepts for analog PAM-4 signal combining were investigated, one based on distributed amplifiers with a shared collector line and one lumped driver in a differential environment. Both drivers feature an adjustable PAM-4 level spacing. For the distributed driver two methods of capacitance matching were investigated both offering high analog bandwidths of up to 102 GHz. The lumped driver offered a lower bandwidth but still eye diagrams up to 100 GBd could be measured. For packaging a hybrid integrated electro optical system, we focused our work on planar packaging, which offers the advantage of creating a modular setup. Both, electrical and optical, subsystems can be optimized independently and integrated in a last step. Doubled bond wires for signal and ground were used for wideband interconnects. The interconnect between optical chip and driver circuit was fabricated on a gold-plated alumina substrate, where DC block are implemented to split the operating points of driver and SOH modulator. The optimized subsystems are integrated in a module to demonstrate the system performance. We could demonstrate data rate of 48 GBit/s for a single channel. Compared to the individual subsystems the performance of the module is reduced. Within the complex electro-optical package we could identify different sources that cause the additional losses. They are mainly based on manufacturing tolerances of the different components of the individual subsystems. By reducing these tolerances, the presented concepts can easily be scaled to facilitate multi-channel electro-optical communication systems for different multiplexing schemes. Although it was not possible to translate all of these findings into improved device performance during the project, the activities in HIPES led to new insights and a detailed understanding of the effects that limit the performance of electro-optic SOH modulators in terms of bandwidth, reliability, and system integration.
Publications
- "Demonstration of long-term thermally stable silicon-organic hybrid modulators at 85 °C," Opt. Express 26, pp. 27955-27964, 2018
C. Kieninger, Y. Kutuvantavida, H. Miura, J. Kemal, H. Zwickel, F. Qiu, M. Lauermann, W. Freude, S. Randel, S. Yokoyama and C. Koos
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.26.027955) - "Electrically packaged silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) I/Q-modulator for 64 GBd operation," Opt. Express 26, pp. 34580-34591, 2018
H. Zwickel, J. Kemal, C. Kieninger, Y. Kutuvantavida, J. Rittershofer, M. Lauermann, W. Freude, S. Randel and C. Koos
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.26.034580) - "Hybrid Photonic Integration and Plasmonic Devices: New Perspectives for High-Speed Communications and Ultra-Fast Signal Processing," in CLEO Pacific Rim Conference 2018, 2018
C. Koos, S. Randel, W. Freude, L. R. Dalton, S. Wolf, C. Kieninger, Y. Kutuvantavida, M. Lauermann, D. L. Elder, S. Muehlbrandt, H. Zwickel, A. Melikyan, T. Harter, S. Ummethala, M. R. Billah, M. Blaicher, P.-I. Dietrich and T. Hoose
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1364/cleopr.2018.w4j.1) - "Ultra-high electro-optic activity demonstrated in a siliconorganic hybrid modulator," Optica 5, pp. 739-748, 2018
C. Kieninger, Y. Kutuvantavida, D. Elder, S. Wolf, H. Zwickel, M. Blaicher, J. Kemal, M. Lauermann, S. Randel, W. Freude, L. Dalton and C. Koos
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1364/optica.5.000739) - "50GBit/s PAM-4 Driver Circuit Based on Variable Gain Distributed Power Combiner," in 2019 IEEE 19th Topical Meeting on Silicon Monolithic Integrated Circuits in RF Systems (SiRF), 2019
C. v. Vangerow, C. Bohn, H. Zwickel, C. Koos and T. Zwick
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1109/sirf.2019.8709086) - "Silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) Mach-Zehnder modulators for 100 GBd PAM4 signaling with sub-1 dB phase-shifter loss," Opt. Express 28, pp. 24693-24707, 2020
C. Kieninger, C. Füllner, H. Zwickel, Y. Kutuvantavida, J. Kemal, C. Eschenbaum, D. Elder, L. Dalton, W. Freude, S. Randel and a. C. Koos
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.390315) - "Verified equivalent-circuit model for slot-waveguide modulators," Opt. Express 28, pp. 12951-12976, 2020
H. Zwickel, S. Singer, C. Kieninger, Y. Kutuvantavida, N. Muradyan, T. Wahlbrink, S. Yokoyama, S. Randel, W. Freude and C. Koos
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.383120) - "Hybrid electro-optic modulator combining silicon photonic slot waveguides with high-k radio-frequency slotlines," Optica 8, pp. 511-519, 2021
S. Ummethala, J. N. Kemal, A. Alam, M. Lauermann, A. Kuzmin, Y. Kutuvantavida, S. H. Nandam, L. Hahn, D. Elder, L. Dalton, T. Zwick, S. Randel, W. Freude and C. Koos
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1364/optica.411161) - "PAM-4 Driver Amplifier using Distributed Power Combining," in 2021 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), 2021
C. Bohn, J. Hebeler, C. Koos, T. Zwick and A. Ç. Ulusoy
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1109/ims19712.2021.9574909)
