We present our work on fully integrated hybrid silicon optical buffers capable of holding 40 byte packets at 40 Gb/s.
These devices consist of low loss silicon waveguides and cascaded amplifiers to overcome passive losses in a 1.1 m long
delay line. Since cascading multiple gain elements leads to ASE (noise) accumulation, reshaping elements in the form of
saturable absorbers are integrated in the delay. Noise filtering in the buffer is investigated by simulating the eye diagram
for a delay line with 1R regenerators and comparing it to that of a 2R regenerator. Finally, preliminary experimental data
from the optical buffer is shown.
In this paper we present the rationale behind photonic integration of optical buffers for packet switching using optical
delay lines. Our work on integrated buffers consisting of Indium-Phosphide-based gate matrix switches and silica-based
delay lines is reviewed. Successful implementation of this hybridly integrated chip in a synchronously loaded optical
packet buffer is shown. Integration of an optical buffer on the hybrid silicon platform, where active switches can be
combined with a low-loss silicon delay line, is discussed and the results for a fully integrated 1.1-ns delay buffer are
presented. We report on our current efforts to reduce the silicon waveguide loss to scale the hybrid silicon buffer to be
able to store 40-byte packets.
Single wavelength hybrid silicon evanescent lasers are described based on wafer bonding III-V multiple quantum wells
to gratings patterned on a silicon waveguide. Distributed Bragg feedback and distributed Bragg reflector lasers are
demonstrated integrated with passive silicon waveguides showing thresholds as low as 25mA and output powers as high
as 11mW around 1600nm wavelength.
We present hybrid silicon evanescent photodetectors that utilize silicon waveguides and offset AlGaInAs quantum
wells. The light in the hybrid waveguide is absorbed by the AlGaInAs quantum wells under reverse bias. The first demonstrated photodetector had an internal quantum efficiency of >90 % over the 1.5 μm wavelength regime. This detector structure has the same structure as silicon evanescent lasers and amplifiers leading to easy integration for power monitors and preamplified receivers. A pre-amplified receiver implementing a hybrid silicon evanescent amplifier and a hybrid silicon evanescent waveguide photodetector is also presented in this paper. The integrated device operates at 1550 nm with a responsivity of 5.7 A/W and a receiver sensitivity of -17.5 dBm at 2.5 Gb/s.
Recently, AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent lasers have been demonstrated as a method of integrating active photonic devices on a silicon based platform. This hybrid waveguide architecture consists of III-V quantum wells bonded to silicon waveguides. The self aligned optical mode leads to a bonding process that is manufacturable in high volumes. Here give an overview of a racetrack resonator laser integrated with two photo-detectors on the hybrid AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent device platform. Unlike previous demonstrations of hybrid AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent lasers, we demonstrate an on-chip racetrack resonator laser that does not rely on facet polishing and dicing in order to define the laser cavity. The laser runs continuous-wave (c.w.) at 1590 nm with a threshold of 175 mA, has a maximum total output power of 29 mW and a maximum operating temperature of 60 C. The output of this laser light is directly coupled into a pair of on chip hybrid AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent photodetectors used to measure the laser output.
Recently, AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent lasers have been demonstrated as a method of integrating active
photonic devices on a silicon based platform. This hybrid waveguide architecture consists of III-V quantum wells
bonded to silicon waveguides. The self aligned optical mode leads to a bonding process that is manufacturable in high
volumes. Here give an overview of a racetrack resonator laser integrated with two photo-detectors on the hybrid
AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent device platform. Unlike previous demonstrations of hybrid AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent
lasers, we demonstrate an on-chip racetrack resonator laser that does not rely on facet polishing and dicing in order to
define the laser cavity. The laser runs continuous-wave (c.w.) at 1590 nm with a threshold of 175 mA, has a maximum
total output power of 29 mW and a maximum operating temperature of 60 C. The output of this laser light is directly
coupled into a pair of on chip hybrid AlGaInAs-silicon evanescent photodetectors used to measure the laser output.
We present an electrically pumped silicon evanescent laser that utilizes a silicon waveguide and offset AlGaInAs
quantum wells. The silicon waveguide is fabricated on a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer and is bonded with the
AlGaInAs quantum well structure using low temperature O2 plasma-assisted wafer bonding. The optical mode in the
hybrid waveguide is predominantly confined in the passive silicon waveguide and evanescently couples into the III-V
active region providing optical gain via electrical current injection. The device lases continuous wave at 1577 nm with a
threshold of 65 mA at 15 °C. The maximum single-sided fiber-coupled cw output power is 1.8 mW. The maximum operating temperature is 40 °C mainly limited by a high series resistance of the device. Operation up to 60 °C should be achievable by lowering the series resistance and thermal impedance.
We report a novel laser architecture, the silicon evanescent laser (SEL), that utilizes a silicon waveguide and offset AlGaInAs quantum wells. The silicon waveguide is fabricated on a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer using a CMOS-compatible process, and is bonded with the AlGaInAs quantum well structure using low temperature O2 plasma-assisted wafer bonding. The optical mode in the SEL is predominantly confined in the passive silicon waveguide and evanescently couples into the III-V active region providing optical gain. This approach combines the advantages of high gain III-V materials and the integration capability of silicon technology. Moreover, the difficulty of coupling an external laser source is overcome as the hybrid waveguide can be self-aligned to silicon-based passive optical devices. The SEL lases continuous wave (CW) at 1568 nm with a threshold of 23 mW. The maximum single-sided fiber-coupled CW output power is 4.5 mW. The SEL characteristics are dependent on the silicon waveguide dimensions resulting in different confinement factors in the III-V gain region.
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