Modern communication systems are constantly evolving to meet the growing demands for faster data transmission speeds. A promising advancement in this field is the development of chip-scale microcombs, which have the potential to revolutionize digital communications by enabling terabit-per-second data transmission with improved energy efficiency. This technology addresses the limitations of traditional electronic oscillators, which are constrained by timing jitter, bandwidth, and power consumption.
The core of this innovative solution lies in the generation of ultra-pure quantum-limited clocks derived from optical references using photonic integration and chip-scale frequency combs. These microcombs facilitate the synchronization of electronics and the creation of pure microwave signals with sub-femtosecond timing jitter. By interconnecting multiple chip modules with minimal latency and energy consumption, this technology supports the trend toward disaggregated computing resources.
An international collaboration between researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Chalmers University of Technology has achieved a significant milestone by transmitting 1.8 petabits per second using a single laser and a single optical chip. This speed is equivalent to twice the global internet traffic, demonstrating the potential of this technology to significantly increase data transmission rates.
Fundamental to this success is the specially designed optical chip, which uses light from a single infrared laser to create a rainbow spectrum of colors. Each color can be isolated, imprinted with data, and reassembled for transmission over an optical fiber. Furthermore, this solution is scalable, both in terms of creating many frequencies and splitting the frequency comb into multiple spatial copies, which can then be amplified and used as parallel sources for data transmission. This scalability makes it possible to transmit up to 100 Pbit/s with a single laser.
The researchers’ solution also holds promise for reducing the power consumption of the internet. By potentially replacing hundreds of thousands of lasers in internet hubs and data centers, this technology could lead to a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly internet infrastructure.
Key staff involved in this project include Professor Victor Torres Company from Chalmers University of Technology, who heads the research group that developed and manufactured the chip, and Professor Leif Katsuo Oxenløwe, Head of the Centre of Excellence for Silicon Photonics for Optical Communications (SPOC) at DTU. The project is funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) with Project ID IS24-0075. The funding supports Chalmers’ participation during 2024-2027.
