Development of Silicon Photonic MEMS Wavelength Switch Networks for Optical Communication Systems

用于光通信系统的硅光子 MEMS 波长开关网络的开发

• 批准号: 576934-2022
• 负责人: Van, VienV
• 金额: $ 1.56万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=751984
• 关键词: Development; Silicon; Photonic; MEMS; Wavelength

The growth of internet data traffic, driven by applications such as e-commerce, social media and cloudcomputing, continues to drive the development of low-cost, compact and high-performance opticalcomponents for high-speed optical data networks. Central to the operation of an optical communicationsystem are wavelength switch networks (WSNs), which route and connect data channels on demand. The datatransmission capacity of an optical network thus depends to a great extent on the number of wavelengthchannels and physical ports the WSNs can accommodate. Existing WSNs are typically based on free spacemicro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches, which are bulky and difficult to scale up to accommodateincreased data channel count. By leveraging the low cost and compactness of silicon photonic integratedcircuits (Si PICs) and the high performance of MEMS optical switches, this proposal aims to develop acompact, low-voltage and scalable WSN architecture based on the monolithic integration of Si PICs andMEMS on a CMOS-compatible chip. To mitigate fabrication-induced variations and improve device yield, theproject will employ a technique based on femtosecond laser irradiation for post-fabrication finetuning of Si PICs that does not require continuous power supply. The outcome of the project will be a fully functional WSN prototype that can be scaled to meet industry specifications and to provide a low-cost platform for realizing MEMS-enabled applications in Si PICs. The industry partner is Preciseley Microtechnology Corp., an Edmonton-based company with 16 years ofexperience in designing and manufacturing optical MEMS products for the telecom market. As a marketleader in MEMS technology, Preciseley has the experience and resource to capitalize on the technologydeveloped through the project and facilitate its immediate transfer to the market. The project will also bringdirect benefits to the Canadian economy through the training of highly-qualified personnel and thedevelopment of home-grown expertise in the photonics, semiconductor manufacturing and telecom sectors.

由电子商务，社交媒体和云计算等应用程序驱动的Internet数据流量的增长继续推动高速光学数据网络的低成本，紧凑和高性能的光学计算机的开发。光学通信系统操作的中心是波长开关网络（WSN），它们按需路由并连接数据通道。因此，光网络的数据传输能力在很大程度上取决于WSNS可以容纳的波长和物理端口的数量。现有的WSN通常基于自由空间机电系统（MEMS）开关，这些开关笨重且难以扩展以适应缩放的数据渠道计数。通过利用硅光子集成电路（SI PIC）的低成本和紧凑性以及MEMS光学开关的高性能，该建议旨在基于SI PICS和MEMS在CMOS中含有的CMOS构成的整体集成基础上基于CMOS构成的整体整合而开发出Acompact，低压和可扩展的WSN体系结构。为了减轻制造引起的变化并提高设备的产量，该项目将采用基于飞秒激光辐照的技术来对不需要连续电源的SI图片进行制作后填充。该项目的结果将是一个功能齐全的WSN原型，可以扩展以满足行业规格，并为实现SI图片中支持MEMS的应用程序提供低成本平台。 该行业合作伙伴是Preciseley Microtechnology Corp.，这是一家位于埃德蒙顿的公司，在为电信市场设计和制造光学MEMS产品方面拥有16年的经验。作为MEMS技术的市场负责人，Preciseley拥有经验和资源，可以利用通过该项目开发的技术并促进其即时转移到市场。该项目还将通过培训高度合格的人员以及在光子学，半导体制造和电信领域的本土专业知识的培训来为加拿大经济带来福利。