Silicon Photonics based Optical OFDM Solutions for Future Passive Optical Networks

• Main Author: Beninca de Farias, Giovanni
• Other Authors: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information (CEA-LETI), Direction de Recherche Technologique (CEA) (DRT (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Université de Grenoble, Alexei Tchelnokov
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: French
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: Silicon Photonics; Digital Communications; OFDM; Signal Processing; Optical Modulation; Traitement du Signal; Modulation Optique; Photonique sur Silicium; Communication Numérique; [SPI.OTHER]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Other; DML
• Online Access: https://theses.hal.science/tel-01061786; https://theses.hal.science/tel-01061786/document; https://theses.hal.science/tel-01061786/file/37463_BENINCA_these_2014.pdf

In the context of Passive Optical Networks (PON), operators are looking for innovative solutions to increase aggregated data-rate, split-ratio and reach. Another requirement is that transceivers should be as low-cost as possible. The optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technique can improve performance of the transmission in terms of data-rate and reach as compared to classical single-carrier On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation. At the same time, the silicon photonics technology can lower the cost per unit of the transceiver, due to its mass production and E/O integration capabilities. Optical OFDM has already shown its potential using commercially available optical components. However, its use with silicon photonics Directly-Modulated Lasers (DML) and modulators is more challenging. The objective of this work is to study the performance of OFDM -based solutions for future PON, using silicon photonics transmitters. For that purpose, a dedicated simulation platform is developed. The OFDM modem is implemented, as well as models of silicon photonic devices built during this thesis. These models are validated by characterizing physical components available for test. In parallel, an experimental test-bed is developed. The silicon photonics transmitters are benchmarked with commercial-available transmitters for OFDM-based optical systems. For Intensity-Modulated/Directly-Detected (IM/DD) links, the use of optical OFDM with adaptive bit and power loading is proposed to maximize spectral efficiency. Two types of silicon photonics transmitters are considered: directly modulated III/V-on-silicon lasers (experiment) and external optical modulators such as Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM) (simulation) and ring-resonator (simulation and experiment). Experimental results show that the hybrid DML can provide more than 10Gbps aggregated data-rate over at least 50km, which is a requirement for future uplink PON (from the subscriber to the central office). For the silicon ring modulator, because of the high coupling ...