Communications

As the digital transformation is essential to every part of our society, needs for high-speed transceivers is set to continue. To illustrate, a staggering 90% of today’s data has been generated within the last three years [1]. We therefore emphasize achieving ultra-high-speed, premium-quality communication links, supporting symbol rates beyond 200 GBd. The range of applications comprises:

• Datacom: short-reach data center transceivers converting electrical signals to optical ones both inside the data center and between campuses.
• Telecom: long-haul transceivers converting electrical signals to optical ones in long distance communications.
• Wireless: 5G/6G transceivers at macro cell sites bringing the signal from the backhaul to the antennas.
• Space and free-space optical (FSO) communication: optical links coping with the bandwidth demand of future and satellite-ground networks.

[1] Amount of Data Created Daily (2024)

Datacom

M. Eppenberger, et al, Resonant plasmonic micro-racetrack modulators with high bandwidth and high temperature tolerance (Nature, 2023)

H. Qian, et al, Ultrahigh-Net-Bitrate 363 Gbit/s PAM-8 and 279 Gbit/s Polybinary Optical Transmission Using Plasmonic Mach-Zehnder Modulator (Journal of Lightwave Technology, 2022)

J. Leuthold, et al, Plasmonic Data Center Interconnects (DCIs) (OFC, 2021)

U. Koch, et al, Monolithic high-speed transmitter enabled by BiCMOS-plasmonic platform (ECOC, 2020)

Telecom

H. Mardoyan, et al, Generation and transmission of 160-Gbaud QPSK Coherent Signals using a Dual-Drive Plasmonic-Organic Hybrid I/Q modulator on Silicon Photonics (IEEE, 2022)

Space and free-space optical communication

Y. Horst, et al. Tbit/s line-rate satellite feeder links enabled by coherent modulation and full-adaptive optics (Nature Light: Science & Applications, 2023)

L. Kulmer, et al. Plasmonic Modulators for Future Highest-Speed Free Space Optical Communications (OFC, 2023)

110 GHz Plasmonic Dual-Drive Ring Resonator Modulator

110 GHz Plasmonic Mach-Zehnder Modulator