Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technologies has imposed unprecedented demands on high‐density and energy‐efficient optical interconnects. Silicon photonic (SiPh) chips offer a promising solution by enabling the integration of hundreds of photonic devices within a millimeter‐scale footprint using standard semiconductor fabrication processes. However, the high thermo‐optic coefficient of silicon (Si) poses a significant challenge to achieving energy‐efficient operation, especially under varying thermal conditions. Therefore, athermal designs that eliminate the need of active temperature control are highly desirable. Here, we design and experimentally demonstrate an athermal silicon photonic optical transmitter, realized through heterogeneous integration of graphene on a silicon nitride (SiN) photonic integrated circuit fabricated in a standard 200 mm SiPh pilot line. The transmitter supports data transmission rates exceeding 100 Gbps over a temperature range from 20°C to 60°C, with temperature‐induced relative bandwidth fluctuations remaining below 3%. Our work paves the way for scalable and cost‐effective SiPh solutions with enhanced thermal stability, meeting the growing interconnect demands of next‐generation computing infrastructure.
Source: Laser & Photonics Review
Language: English
Topic: Photonic and Optical Devices
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7124443341