Semiconductor optical amplifiers in a non-linear Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) are widely used as non-linear elements for optical data processing. For optimal use, high values of the phase change should accompany low changes in gain. The gain itself should be as high as possible. The relation between these two effects is described by the linewidth enhancement factor (a-factor). Here a method is proposed to unambiguously determine it on-chip. The method uses an integrated SOA in a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with unequal power distribution. The MZI output depends on the gain saturation and the phase shift, due to self-phase modulation. Analyzing this signal gives information about the a-factor

A 40 Gb/s chip-to-chip interconnect for 8-socket direct connectivity using integrated photonics

\u3cp\u3eWe present an O-band any-to-any chip-to-chip (C2C) interconnection at 40 Gb/s suitable for up to 8-socket direct connectivity in multi-socket server boards, utilizing integrated low-energy photonics for the transceiver and routing functions. The C2C interconnect exploits an Si-based ring modulator as its transmitter and a co-packaged photodiode/transimpedance amplifier enabled receiver interconnected over an 8 × 8 Si-based arrayed waveguide grating router, allowing for a single-hop flat-topology interconnection between eight nodes. A proof-of-concept demonstration of the C2C interconnect is presented at 25 and 40 Gb/s for eight possible routing scenarios, revealing clear eye diagrams at both data rates with extinction ratios of 4.8 ± 0.3 and 4.38 ± 0.31 dB, respectively, among the eight routed signals.\u3c/p\u3