Integrated GHz silicon photonic interconnect with micrometer-scale modulators and detectors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a compact, low-power silicon photonic optical link operating at 3 Gbps, utilizing micrometer-scale modulators and germanium detectors, advancing on-chip optical interconnect technology.

Contribution

It introduces an integrated silicon photonic link with micrometer-scale modulators and detectors, achieving high-speed operation with low energy consumption.

Findings

3 Gbps data rate achieved

Energy consumption estimated at ~120 fJ/bit

Compact monolithic integration demonstrated

Abstract

We report an optical link on silicon using micrometer-scale ring-resonator enhanced silicon modulators and waveguide-integrated germanium photodetectors. We show 3 Gbps operation of the link with 0.5 V modulator voltage swing and 1.0 V detector bias. The total energy consumption for such a link is estimated to be ~120 fJ/bit. Such compact and low power monolithic link is an essential step towards large-scale on-chip optical interconnects for future microprocessors.