Martijn Tassaert

Hybrid silicon lasers

Hybrid silicon lasers based on bonded III-V layers on silicon are discussed with respect to the challenges and trade-offs in their design and fabrication. Focus is on specific designs that combine good light confinement in the gain layer with good spectral control provided by grating structures patterned in silicon.

Narrow-linewidth short-pulse III-V-on-silicon mode-locked lasers based on a linear and ring cavity geometry

Picosecond-pulse III-V-on-silicon mode-locked lasers based on linear and ring extended cavity geometries are presented. In passive mode-locked operation a 12 kHz -3dB linewidth of the fundamental RF tone at 4.7 GHz is obtained for the linear cavity geometry and 16 kHz for the ring cavity geometry. Stabilization of the repetition rate of these devices using hybrid mode-locking is also demonstrated.

Python Bindings for the Open Source Electromagnetic Simulator Meep

This paper describes Meep, a popular free implementation of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for simulating electromagnetism. In particular, we focus on aspects of implementing a full-featured FDTD package that go beyond standard textbook descriptions of the algorithm, or ways in which Meep differs from typical FDTD implementations. These include pervasive interpolation and accurate modeling of subpixel features, advanced signal processing, support for nonlinear materials via Padé approximants, and flexible scripting capabilities.

Passive InP regenerator integrated on SOI for the support of broadband silicon modulators

Passive signal regeneration based on the Membrane InP Switch (MIPS) is demonstrated. Because of the high confinement of light in the active region of the MIPS, the device acts as a saturable absorber with a highly non-linear response. Using this effect, the extinction ratio (ER) of low-ER signals can be tripled and a receiver sensitivity enhancement of 4.5dB is demonstrated using an input signal at 1Gb/s with an ER of 2dB. Regenerator operation up to 5Gb/s is demonstrated and using a device simulator a strategy to reach higher bitrate operation is proposed.

Bias-free, low power and optically driven membrane InP switch on SOI for remotely configurable photonic packet switches

A small footprint integrated Membrane InP Switch (MIPS) on Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) is demonstrated for use in all-optical packet switching. The device consists of an optically pumped III-V membrane waveguide of only 100 nm thick, coupled to the underlying SOI waveguide circuit. Because of its limited thickness, the optical confinement in the active layers is maximized, allowing for high extinction ratio of over 30 dB when applying a low power optical pump signal, over the entire C-band. The switch has 400/1300 ps on/off switching times and no measurable pattern dependence or switching related power penalties for a bitrate up to 40 Gb/s, using a switching power of only 2 dBm.

5 x 20 Gb/s heterogeneously integrated III-V on silicon electro-absorption modulator array with arrayed waveguide grating multiplexer

We present a five-channel wavelength division multiplexed modulator module that heterogeneously integrates a 200 GHz channel-spacing silicon arrayed-waveguide grating multiplexer and a 20 Gbps electro-absorption modulator array, showing the potential for 100 Gbps transmission capacity on a 1.5x0.5 mm² footprint.

Optically Reconfigurable 1

In this paper we demonstrate an optically controlled 1 × 4 remote node switch, based on membrane InP switches bonded to a silicon-on-insulator circuit. We show that the switch exhibits cross talk better than 25 dB between the output ports, and that the switch operates without receiver sensitivity penalty. Furthermore, the proposed switch architecture allows for optical clock distribution as a means to avoid the need for clock recovery at the receiver side. This is demonstrated in a proof-of-principle experiment where data and clock are sent through a single membrane InP switch.

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Improved passive signal regeneration performance based on bonded InP membrane waveguides is demonstrated. A tripling of the ER and receiver sensitivity enhancement of >3.6dB is achieved over the entire C-band at a bitrate of 2.5Gb/s.

4 Remote Node Switch for Access Networks

We review the integration of III-V semiconductors on silicon photonic integrated circuits as a way of realizing fully integrated silicon photonic transceivers and short-wave infrared spectroscopic sensors.

Broadband passive InP membrane regenerator for silicon-based optical interconnect applications

Using an integrated membrane switch on SOI, optical clock distribution is achieved while all-optical switching of datapackets is maintained. Transmission through 25km SMF is demonstrated with 1.5dB penalty, limited by signal OSNR and pump extinction.