Silicon photonics for telecom and datacom applications

Abstract

Photonics for telecom and datacom has extended its range of applications moving from the traditional long distance and metropolitan transport networks to the access segment of fixed and mobile networks. In mobile networks, photonic networking is perceived as a key technology for both the backhaul and the fronthaul applications. Photonics is already considered the most viable technology for intrasystem interconnect in routers, switches, radio base stations, data centers, etc. In fact, driven by the traffic demand explosion, mainly due to the mobile internet, there is a tremendous pressure on the design of next generation telecom equipment with increased flexibility, processing capacity and bandwidth density and at the same time with reduced cost, power consumption and footprint. Photonics in such new applications requires conceiving and realizing new types of optical devices with a very low cost, a high miniaturization, and the capability to be produced in great volume with high production throughput. This requires a change in the paradigm that dictated so far the photonic devices development and that was based on discrete components made by InP material and the related production processes. The new devices will be based on silicon photonics technology exploiting the advantages of a cheap material and a highly developed CMOS production infrastructure that can ensure mass production with good yield and low cost besides the high miniaturization guaranteed by the high index contrast of silicon waveguides. Efficient energy utilization can be also provided by easy photonic–electronic inte- gration allowed by silicon photonics. The applications of future silicon photonics devices in telecom and datacom will be presented together with the device architectures under investigation in research projects.