Phys.org October 15, 2021
Optical circuit switches can offer high bandwidth, low network latency and an energy-efficient and scalable data center network. However, it is critical to switch between wavelengths at nanosecond (ns) timescales. An international team of researchers (Switzerland, UK) has demonstrated ultrafast optical circuit switches based on a microcomb and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). They used a photonic integrated Si3N4 microcomb to achieve sub-ns switching along with the 25-Gbps non-return-to-zero and 50-Gbps four-level pulse amplitude modulation burst mode data transmission. And they used a photonic integrated circuit comprising an Indium phosphide-based SOA array and an arrayed waveguide grating to show sub-ns switching along with 25-Gbps non-return-to-zero (NRZ) burst mode transmission providing a path towards a more scalable and energy-efficient wavelength-switched network for data centers in the post Moore’s Law era…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Concept of optical circuit switching (OCS) using a photonic chip based Si3N4 soliton microcomb and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). Credit: Nature Communications volume 12, Article number: 5867 (2021)