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We experimentally demonstrate the generation of a single-sideband orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) signal using an on-chip silicon photonics microring-based IQ modulator. Over 18-dB sideband suppression ratio is achieved for the wideband OFDM: 15.7-GHz data band and 2.7-GHz guard band. The 31.4-Gb/s signal was transmitted over 20 km of standard single-mode fiber with a bit error rate below the forward error correction threshold. While single-sideband continuous-wave signals have been produced with such hardware, this is the first demonstration of stable data transmission on the single sideband carrier.

High-speed optical interconnects are crucial for both data centers and high performance computing systems. High power consumption and limited device bandwidth have hindered the move to higher optical transmission speeds. Integrated optical transceivers in silicon photonics (SiP) using pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) are a promising solution to increase data rates. In this paper, we review recent progress in SiP for PAM transmissions. We focus on materials and technologies available CMOS-compatible photonics processes. Performance metrics of SiP modulators and crucial considerations for high-speed PAM transmissions are discussed. Various driving strategies to achieve optical PAM signals are presented. Some of the state-of-the-art SiP PAM modulators and integrated transmitters are reviewed.

On-chip frequency comb generation is a promising solution for seeding a chip-scale optical transmitter for both Nyquist wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing. We demonstrate flexible frequency comb generation using a silicon photonic dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator fabricated on a CMOS-compatible process. Our on-chip comb has five lines spaced at 20 GHz with a high tone-to-noise ratio of about 40 dB after one stage optical amplification. Our back-to-back transmission achieves bit error rates (BERs) well below 2e-2, the threshold for 20% overhead forward error correction (FEC), for 800 Gb/s using 16-GBd 32QAM on five WDM channels. We also test a seamless 800-Gb/s super-channel using 5×20 GBd 16QAM, with BER below the 7% overhead FEC threshold of 3.8e-3. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of high-spectral-efficiency data carried by an all-silicon optical frequency comb. This establishes that a silicon optical frequency comb has sufficient optical signal-to-noise ratio for high-order QAM, as well as excellent stability for super-channels without guard bands, paving the way to an integrated high-spectral-efficiency multi-carrier optical transmitter.

Advanced optical interconnects require high-speed links, which can be achieved by combining high channel rates with wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). We report a multi-channel transmitter using cascaded microring modulators (MRMs) in silicon photonics. One MRM works as a flexible-grid optical comb generator, while the others work as channel modulators. With a single-wavelength laser input, we achieve flexible channel spacing (up to 25 GHz) with a tone-to-noise ratio (TNR) above 54 dB, all at low power consumption (less than 4.6 mW). We examine experimentally multichannel transmission modulating data onto adjacent comb lines without significant signal crosstalk. This single-laser, flexible-grid WDM transmitter is a scalable solution: more comb lines can be obtained using uncoupled MRMs in series. This is the first demonstration of monolithic integration of a comb generator and multi-channel modulators for ultracompact, power-efficient WDM photonic interconnects.

We experimentally demonstrate the generation of a single-sideband orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) signal using an on-chip silicon photonics microring-based IQ modulator. Over 18-dB sideband suppression ratio is achieved for the wideband OFDM: 15.7-GHz data band and 2.7-GHz guard band. The 31.4-Gb/s signal was transmitted over 20 km of standard single-mode fiber with a bit error rate below the forward error correction threshold. While single-sideband continuous-wave signals have been produced with such hardware, this is the first demonstration of stable data transmission on the single sideband carrier.

High-speed optical interconnects are crucial for both data centers and high performance computing systems. High power consumption and limited device bandwidth have hindered the move to higher optical transmission speeds. Integrated optical transceivers in silicon photonics (SiP) using pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) are a promising solution to increase data rates. In this paper, we review recent progress in SiP for PAM transmissions. We focus on materials and technologies available CMOS-compatible photonics processes. Performance metrics of SiP modulators and crucial considerations for high-speed PAM transmissions are discussed. Various driving strategies to achieve optical PAM signals are presented. Some of the state-of-the-art SiP PAM modulators and integrated transmitters are reviewed.

Advanced optical interconnects require high-speed links, which can be achieved by combining high channel rates with wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). We report a multi-channel transmitter using cascaded microring modulators (MRMs) in silicon photonics. One MRM works as a flexible-grid optical comb generator, while the others work as channel modulators. With a single-wavelength laser input, we achieve flexible channel spacing (up to 25 GHz) with a tone-to-noise ratio (TNR) above 54 dB, all at low power consumption (less than 4.6 mW). We examine experimentally multichannel transmission modulating data onto adjacent comb lines without significant signal crosstalk. This single-laser, flexible-grid WDM transmitter is a scalable solution: more comb lines can be obtained using uncoupled MRMs in series. This is the first demonstration of monolithic integration of a comb generator and multi-channel modulators for ultracompact, power-efficient WDM photonic interconnects.