Segmented Optical Transmitter Comprising a CMOS Driver Array and an InP IQ-MZM for Advanced Modulation Formats

Segmented Mach-Zehnder modulators are promising solutions to generate complex modulation schemes in the migration towards optical links with a higher-spectral efficiency. We present an optical transmitter comprising a segmented-electrode InP IQ-MZM, capable of multilevel optical signal generation (5...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of lightwave technology Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 862 - 867
Main Authors Vanhoecke, Michael, Aimone, Alessandro, Argyris, Nikos, Dris, Stefanos, Vaernewyck, Renato, Verheyen, Koen, Gruner, Marko, Fiol, Gerrit, Apostolopoulos, Dimitris, Avramopoulos, Hercules, Torfs, Guy, Xin Yin, Bauwelinck, Johan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 15.02.2017
Subjects
CMOS integrated circuits
Electrodes
Electronic mail
electrooptic modulation
Integrated optics
Optical modulation
Optical transmitters
optoelectronic devices
Power demand
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Segmented Mach-Zehnder modulators are promising solutions to generate complex modulation schemes in the migration towards optical links with a higher-spectral efficiency. We present an optical transmitter comprising a segmented-electrode InP IQ-MZM, capable of multilevel optical signal generation (5-bit per I/Q arm) by employing direct digital drive from integrated, low-power (1W) CMOS binary drivers. We discuss the advantages and design tradeoffs of the segmented driver structure and the implementation in a 40 nm CMOS technology. Multilevel operation with combined phase and amplitude modulation is demonstrated experimentally on a single MZM of the device for 2-ASK-2PSK and 4-ASK-2-PSK, showing potential for respectively 16-QAM and 64-QAM modulation in future assemblies.
ISSN:0733-8724
1558-2213
DOI:10.1109/JLT.2016.2626792