Embargoed until 2026-04-04
Author
Date
2024Type
- Doctoral Thesis
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
The rapid, accelerating growth of optical communication systems requires exponential scaling of transmission speeds. Data center interconnects and high-performance computing have both identified the electro-optic interfaces as the bottleneck for future development as more and more cost and energy is required to keep up with the increasing demand of bandwidth.
The technology roadmaps of major companies in industry envision an increase of symbol rates beyond 400 GBd by 2030, which is a four-fold increase in less than 10 years. The scientific community is experimenting with solutions to provide a platform for such high datarate communication. Plasmonic modulators and photodetectors are promising candidates for cost-, space-, and energy- efficient conversion between optics and electronics.
In this dissertation, the vision of a scalable, cost-efficient terabaud transceiver is outlined. Three significant challenges and the improvements that were made in the respective domains are addressed. The plasmonic modulator efficiency was increased, a BTO-based plasmonic modulator was introduced, and high-speed monolithic integration of modulator and driver was demonstrated. Firstly, a comprehensive study on integration options for terabaud transceivers showcases the capability of plasmonics and identifies flip-chip and monolithic integration of PIC and EIC as viable options. Secondly, the Pockels material BTO/BaTiO3/barium titanate has recently attracted considerable attention after first demonstrations of plasmonic modulators were shown. In this thesis, a photolithography-compatible design was developed based on low-loss TM-plasmonics. Thirdly, resonant enhancement of plasmonic modulators has gained a lot of attention. Conventionally, this is achieved by employing an optical cavity and thereby effectively passing light through the modulator multiple times. In this thesis, a novel microwave resonator was conceived and studied. This design is complementary to the optical resonator. The resonant enhancement was achieved by a microwave cavity, which allows the radio frequency wave to pass multiple times, enhancing the voltage in the modulator. Finally, monolithic integration of plasmonic modulators and driver electronics were demonstrated at record speeds. This dissertation covers significant ground towards future terabaud transceivers and reveals the next challenges in the development of integration technology and electronics. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000652122Publication status
publishedExternal links
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Publisher
ETH ZurichOrganisational unit
03974 - Leuthold, Juerg / Leuthold, Juerg
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ETH Bibliography
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