# Up to 168-Gb/s PAM-4 direct detection transmission with silicon travelling wave Mach-Zehnder modulator

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates high-speed PAM-4 optical transmission using a silicon travelling wave Mach-Zehnder modulator, achieving record data rates of up to 168 Gb/s over fiber links with low error rates.

## Contribution

It introduces a silicon travelling wave Mach-Zehnder modulator capable of supporting record high data rates for PAM-4 transmission over fiber.

## Key findings

- Achieved 168 Gb/s PAM-4 transmission over 1 km fiber
- Achieved 160 Gb/s PAM-4 transmission over 2 km fiber
- Bit error rates below 20% HD-FEC threshold

## Abstract

Based on a silicon travelling wave Mach-Zehnder modulator, we demonstrate record 168Gb/s (84Gbaud) and 160Gb/s (80Gbaud) PAM-4 direct detection transmission over 1km and 2km SSMF, respectively, with bit error rates below 20% HD-FEC threshold.

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1812.11081