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

Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: 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.
DOI: 10.1109/jlt.2016.2626792
Authors: Michael Vanhoecke, Alessandro Aimone, Nikos Argyris, Stefanos Dris, Renato Vaernewyck, Koen Verheyen, Marko Gruner, Gerrit Fiol, Dimitris Apostolopoulos, Hercules Avramopoulos, Guy Torfs, Xin Yin, Johan Bauwelinck
Institutions: Ghent University, iMinds, IMEC, Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Technische Universität Berlin, National Technical University of Athens, VPIphotonics (Germany)
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2554616922
FWCI: 0.914
Cites: 18
Cited by: 16
Related to: 10