近日，加拿大拉瓦尔大学Shi, Wei团队研究了微环调制器的超快相干动力学。该研究于2025年6月3日发表在《自然—光子学》杂志上。
下一代计算集群需要超高带宽的光互连来支持大规模的人工智能应用。这些电子-光子共集成系统需要密集集成的高速电光转换器。在此背景下，微环调制器（MRM）成为一种有前景的解决方案，因其卓越的紧凑性和能效而备受推崇。然而，它们的潜力受到固有挑战的限制，例如明显的频率啁啾和动态非线性。此外，对其连贯动态的全面理解仍然不足，这进一步限制了它们的适用性和效率。因此，这些局限将它们的使用限制在频谱效率低下的强度调制直接检测链路上。
研究组对MRM相干动力学进行了深入的研究，将相位作为高级调制格式下基于MRM的高速数据传输的一个新维度。他们证明了MRM的相位和强度调制表现出独特但耦合的动力学，限制了它们在高阶调制格式中的直接应用。通过在马赫-曾德干涉仪中嵌入一对推拉配置的MRM，实现双稳态相位响应和无约束幅度调制，可以解决这一挑战。
此外，研究组发现，与MRM的相位和强度调制相比，其幅频响应对频率失谐表现出明显的依赖性，在共振附近没有强烈的峰值。利用超快相干动力学，研究组在使用互补金属-氧化物-半导体兼容光子工艺制造的硅芯片上设计并实验演示了一种超紧凑、超宽带同相/正交调制器。实现超过5 Tb s−1 mm-1的创纪录的片上岸线带宽密度 ，该设备支持相干传输，在超过80 km跨度下符号率高达180 Gbaud，净比特率超过1 Tb s−1，调制能耗低至10.4 fJ 位-1。
附：英文原文
Title: Ultrafast coherent dynamics of microring modulators
Author: Geravand, Alireza, Zheng, Zibo, Shateri, Farshid, Levasseur, Simon, Rusch, Leslie A., Shi, Wei
Issue&Volume: 2025-06-03
Abstract: Next-generation computing clusters require ultra-high-bandwidth optical interconnects to support large-scale artificial-intelligence applications. These electronic–photonic co-integrated systems necessitate densely integrated high-speed electro-optical converters. In this context, microring modulators (MRMs) emerge as a promising solution, prized for their exceptional compactness and energy efficiency. Nevertheless, their potential is curtailed by inherent challenges, such as pronounced frequency chirp and dynamic nonlinearity. Moreover, a comprehensive understanding of their coherent dynamics is still lacking, which further constrains their applicability and efficiency. Consequently, these constraints have confined their use to spectrally inefficient intensity-modulation direct-detection links. Here we present a thorough study of MRM coherent dynamics, unlocking phase as a new dimension for MRM-based high-speed data transmission in advanced modulation formats. We demonstrate that the phase and intensity modulations of MRMs exhibit distinct yet coupled dynamics, limiting their direct application in higher-order modulation formats. This challenge can be addressed by embedding a pair of MRMs within a Mach–Zehnder interferometer in a push–pull configuration, enabling a bistable phase response and unchirped amplitude modulation. Furthermore, we show that its amplitude frequency response exhibits a distinct dependency on frequency detuning compared with phase and intensity modulations of MRMs, without strong peaking near resonance. Harnessing the ultrafast coherent dynamics, we designed and experimentally demonstrated an ultra-compact, ultra-wide-bandwidth in-phase/quadrature modulator on a silicon chip fabricated using a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor-compatible photonic process. Achieving a record on-chip shoreline bandwidth density exceeding 5Tbs1mm1, our device enabled coherent transmission for symbol rates up to 180Gbaud and a net bit rate surpassing 1Tbs1 over an 80km span, with modulation energy consumption as low as 10.4fJbit1.
DOI: 10.1038/s41566-025-01686-1
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-025-01686-1