Silicon photonics: new speed record set

Just one year ago, researchers at Leti built an 80 Gb/s data switch demonstrator; today, they have set a new speed record with a switch prototype that works at 128 Gb/s or 256 Gb/s. And, once again, the results are the fruit of a multi-partner project involving Alcatel-Lucent and the III–V Lab. The system will be of interest to the telecommunications market.
The researchers tripled the switch’s speed by replacing the former version’s transmissive system with a reflective system. The light signals are carried by sixteen optical channels and then reflected back by mirrors, meaning they pass twice through an optical attenuator. The components of the system—which has just one multiplexer—were integrated on to a mere 3 mm2 of silicon. The research won a Best Paper Award at ECOC 2015.

Contact: jean-marc.fedeli@cea.fr

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