Unipolar quantum optoelectronic devices: Higher speeds in free-space optical communications in the midinfrared band

Phys.org  November 2, 2022
A recently demonstrated proof-of-concept of high-speed transmission taking advantage of intersubband devices was limited by the short-distance optical path (up to 1 m). An international team of researchers (France, USA -University of Central Florida, University of New Mexico) used an uncooled quantum cascade detector and a nitrogen-cooled quantum well-infrared photodetector to study the possibility of building a long-range link using unipolar quantum optoelectronics. They evaluated the maximum data rate of their link in a back-to-back configuration before adding a Herriott cell to increase the length of the light path up to 31m. By using pulse shaping, pre- and post-processing, they reached a record bitrate of 30 Gbit s − 1 for both two-level (OOK) and four-level (PAM-4) modulation schemes for a 31-m propagation link and a bit error rate compatible with error-correction codes…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Representative diagram of the experimental setup used in the study… Credit: Pierre Didier, LTCI, Telecom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris.

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