We present a 96x96 InGaAs/InP single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array for detection at 1550nm wavelength. The pixels have a diameter of 15μm and a 25μm pitch, resulting in a fill factor of 28.3%. The dark count rates (DCR) of the array were measured for a subset of 6x24 pixels. The DCR vs. photon detection efficiency of a representative SPAD and the breakdown voltage statistics for a subset of 6x96 pixels were recorded at room temperature. The DCR of the measured subset has a median value of very low 87kcps. At corresponding excess bias, we measured a photon detection efficiency (PDE) of 15%. The breakdown voltage of the 6x96 subset has a median value of 62.2V with a standard deviation of only 72mV. The results indicate a strong candidate for a SWIR imaging sensor in low-level-light applications.
As continuous wave (cw) THz spectroscopy advances rapidly, its high potential for sensing and non-destructive testing is becoming increasingly apparent. This is demonstrated in two recent developments: First, I will present our novel terahertz receivers for frequency-domain spectroscopy based on rhodium-doped InGaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy. These new devices provide a peak dynamic range of 130 dB, an 18 dB improvement over the state of the art. Secondly, I will present a compact terahertz spectroscopy system with a measurement rate of 1 kHz, made possible by a single photonic integrated circuit that acts as the optical driver engine.
These new results demonstrate the excellent performance and flexibility of frequency-domain spectroscopy, paving the way for compact and task-specific terahertz systems for science and industry.
Fraunhofer HHI’s hybrid photonic integration technology based on SiN and polymer waveguiding platforms enables photonic integrated circuits operating at wavelengths from the infrared down to the visible. Hybrid photonic integration processes allow integrating active photonic building blocks such as lasers and active sections, as well as non-reciprocal and non-linear functionalities. Those features prove the large potential of Fraunhofer HHI’s hybrid photonic integration technology in application domains such as sensing and quantum technologies.
We present novel 1550 nm InGaAsP MQW based broad area single emitters with 100 μm stripe width showing 4.9 W CW output power at 20 °C operation temperature and a maximum wall plug efficiency of 40%. An optimized low loss large optical cavity design has been used, allowing for a narrow optical far-field of 25° x 15°FHWM. Furthermore respective wavelength stabilized lasers have been realized.
A photonic engine for the integration of multi-lane optical transceivers is presented. The building blocks are InP-based electro-absorption modulated lasers and photodiodes capable of operating at 50 GBaud with PAM-4 modulation, and a low-cost polymer waveguiding chip providing routing of the multiple lanes and connectivity towards standard single-mode fibers. An automatic process for the hybrid assembly of the different building blocks has been developed, and photonic integrated circuits with up to 16 lanes have been demonstrated. Furthermore, high-frequency flexible interconnects with bandwidths beyond 100 GHz provide a connectivity solution between photonics and high-speed electronics.
We present a fiber-coupled terahertz (THz) time-domain spectrometer with a record bandwidth of 10 THz. This significant increase of 3.5 THz in bandwidth compared to state-of-the-art spectrometers is enabled by improved photoconductive antennas (PCAs). In particular, we show that THz absorption in the polar InP:Fe substrate of the standard InGaAs PCAs is the main limiting factor for the bandwidth. To overcome this issue, we have developed a wafer-scale substrate transfer-process for the thin photoconductive InGaAs layer from InP:Fe to low loss, high resistivity float-zone (HRFZ) silicon. The resulting photoconductive membrane (PCM) antennas combine the advantages of ultrafast iron-doped InGaAs photoconductors as efficient THz emitters and receivers with nearly absorption-free and spectrally flat transmission of HRFZ-Si up to 17 THz.
We report on novel continuous wave (cw) photoconductive terahertz (THz) receivers based on rhodium (Rh) doped indium gallium arsenide grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The Rh-doped material exhibits outstanding charge carrier mobility up to 1800 cm2/Vs while maintaining ultrashort carrier lifetimes between 0.26 and 1.5 ps. The photoconductive antennas (PCAs) made from this material exhibit a THz responsivity significantly improved by a factor of 20 to 100, which overcompensates their slightly higher noise levels. In a homodyne coherent THz spectroscopy setup, these novel receivers enable us to measure THz spectra with a record peak dynamic range up to 125 dB and a spectral bandwidth of 4.5 THz. This is an improvement of 13 dB over the previous record with InGaAs:Fe-based PCAs and leads to improved accuracy and measurement speed in cw-THz spectroscopy.
We present a novel Dual DFB laser for high-speed direct modulation. The design comprises two identical quarter wavelengths shifted DFBs in mirrored configuration separated by a passive waveguide. This structure utilizes the effect of photon-photon resonance to increase the modulation bandwidth of 57.6 GHz. Operation of these devices under large signal modulation at 56 Gbps and 72 Gbps is demonstrated.
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are one of the key enablers for beyond 5G networks. A novel generation of fully integrated photonic-enabled transceivers operating seamlessly in W- D- and THz-bands is developed within the EU funded project TERAWAY. Photonic integration technology enables key photonic functionalities on a single PIC including photonic up/down conversion. For efficient down-conversion at the photonic integrated receiver, we develop the first waveguide-fed photoconductive antenna for THz communications. Finally, we report on the experimental implementation of a fully photonic-enabled link operating across W- D- and THz-bands.
We demonstrate a fully photonic sub-THz communication link using a PIN photodiode (PD) emitter and an optimized photoconductive antenna (PCA) as a heterodyne receiver. The novel receiver comprises an iron-doped indium gallium (InGaAs) PCA on a silicon lens and passive radio frequency (RF) circuitry, all packaged into a fiber-coupled module. A 3-dB-bandwidth of 11 GHz for the intermediate frequency was measured. We analyzed the capabilities of the receiver in a wireless communication link over a distance of 1 m with a PIN photodiode as the emitter. At a carrier frequency of 120 GHz, we demonstrate error free transmission for net data rates up to 10 Gbit/s with quaternary quadrature amplitude modulation (4-QAM) modulation.
The European Quantum Flagship and the German QuNET initiative support research on Quantum Communication and strive towards creating a substantial value chain for future quantum communication infrastructures. Within these initiatives, Fraunhofer HHI develops both systems and components, the latter basing on InP and hybrid Quantum PICs. Focus is on the early installation of QKD networks, while being open for later development of quantum repeaters.
Fraunhofer HHI's hybrid integration platform PolyBoard combines polymer passive waveguides with InP and other materials. We present new functionalities integrated in PolyBoard:
Isolation: With a microoptical bench integrated into polymer isolators can be built.
Quantum and sensing: By integrating nonlinear materials into the microoptical bench, 2nd (775 nm), 3rd (515 nm), and 4th (387 nm) harmonic generation could be observed
3D: First results for a 2x4 phased array have been achieved
Flip-chip laser active alignment: We have developed an active alignment process, which also works for flip-chip lasers which are impossible to electrically contact during the alignment process.
First automation results show the potential for cost effective volume scaling.
A novel approach for coherent detection with double-side vertically illuminated photodetectors is presented. Signal and local oscillator (LO) are injected collinearly from opposite sides of the photodetector chip. As a result, no optical combiners are required and the concept inherently provides angular selective detection, as the relative angle between signal and LO has a strong influence on the generated RF power. These properties can be exploited for developing compact, solid-state receiver modules in single-channel and arrayed configurations for different sensing and imaging applications, e.g., coherent light detection and ranging (LiDAR).
We present novel photoconductive antennas (PCAs) compatible with 1550 nm excitation for terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS). Rhodium (Rh) doped InGaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy is used as the underlying photoconductor. Due to the advantageous combination of sub-picosecond carrier lifetime and excellent electronic properties, InGaAs:Rh based emitters feature an unprecedented emitted THz power of 637 µW. A record peak dynamic range of 110 dB is demonstrated with a THz TDS system using InGaAs:Rh based PCAs only. This sets a new benchmark for THz TDS systems operating at 1550 nm.
In this paper, we report the integration of sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (SG-DBR) lasers using an InPbased generic integration platform for the first time. These lasers show 53 nm tuning range in C band from 1533 nm to 1586 nm with 40 dB side mode suppression (SMSR). Threshold current of the laser is 20 mA, and the front facet output power is 8 mW at 100 mA gain current. The Lorentzian optical linewidth amounts to 713 kHz. We fabricated this laser using the standard Multi-Project Wafer processes of the Fraunhofer HHI InP integration platform.
We present a novel system architecture for coherent cw THz spectrometers. The system features 2.5 THz bandwidth with an acquisition rate of 58 Hz and provides full phase information without active phase modulation. We achieve passive amplitude and phase modulation at a fixed intermediate frequency by using a fast sweeping laser in combination with a static optical fiber delay: By heterodyning the incoming THz signal with the frequency-shifted optical beatnote on a photomixing receiver, we can extract amplitude and phase of the signal with a lock-in detector. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fastest coherent cw THz system demonstrated so far.
A new generation of photoconductive antennas (PCAs) compatible with 1550 nm excitation for terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is presented. Iron (Fe) doped InGaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy is used as the underlying photoconductor. Due to the advantageous combination of ultrashort carrier lifetime and excellent electronic properties, InGaAs:Fe based PCAs increase the dynamic range for frequencies from 1 THz – 6 THz by more than 10 dB compared to the state-of-the-art.
Ultra-narrow linewidth tunable hybrid integrated lasers are built from a combination of indium phosphide (InP) and silicon nitride-based TriPleX™. By combining the active functionality of InP with the ultra-low loss properties of the TriPleX™ platform narrow linewidth lasers in the C-band are realized. The InP platform is used for light generation and the TriPleX™ platform is used to define a long cavity with a wavelength-selective tunable filter. The TriPleX™ platform has the ability to adapt mode profiles over the chip and is extremely suitable for mode matching to the other platforms for hybrid integration. The tunable filter is based on a Vernier of micro-ring resonators to allow for single-mode operation, tunable by thermo-optic or stress-induced tuning. This work will show the operational principle and benefits of the hybrid lasers and the state of the art developments in the realization of these lasers. High optical powers ( <100 mW) are combined with narrow linewidth (< 1 kHz) spectral responses with tunability over a large (>100 nm) wavelength range and a low relative intensity (< -160 dB/Hz).
Nonreciprocal optical functionalities like optical isolators and circulators are key components for the suppression of unwanted optical feedback in lasers and are also widely used for light routing in fiber-based measurement systems such as optical coherence tomography. Therefore, they are important building blocks in integrated optics, which promises further miniaturization and cost reduction of optical elements for telecom, datacom, and sensing applications. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a four-port polarization independent optical circulator on a polymer-based hybrid integration platform. The circulator consists of polymer waveguides and two thin-film polarization beam splitters (PBSs) inserted into waveguides via etched slots. Crystalline, pre-magnetized bulk Faraday rotators (FRs) and half-wave plates (HWPs) are inserted into free-space sections, formed by pairs of waveguide butt-coupled GRIN lenses. For a first demonstrator, on-chip losses down to 5 dB and optical isolations up to 24 dB were measured, depending on the different input and output constellations, as well as the polarization. By applying an external magnetic field opposite to the magnetization of the faraday rotators, it is possible to repole the magneto-optic material, leading to reversely circulating light inside the device. This enables optical switching between ports in form of a latching switch, which maintains its state after removing the external magnetic field.
3D photonic integration introduces a new degree of freedom in the design of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) compared to standard 2D-like structures. Novel applications such as large-scale optical switching matrices, e.g. for top-of- rack cross connect switches in data centers, benefit from the additional design flexibility due to their waveguide crossing-free architecture and compact footprint. In this work, a novel 3D 4×4 multi-mode interference coupler (MMI) based on HHI’s polymer-based photonic integration platform PolyBoard is presented. The fabrication process of the PolyBoard platform allows for the realization of vertically stacked polymer waveguide layers. Cascading two of the presented 3D 4×4 MMIs will form the building block of future large-scale 3D switching matrices. The 3D 4×4 MMI structure comprises two waveguide layers separated by a distance of 7.2 μm, with two input and two output waveguides in each layer, and a multimode interference (MMI) section in between. The vertical MMI section serves as the interconnection between the different waveguide layers and distributes the incoming light from each input waveguide across the four output ports of the 4×4 MMI. Design rules and fabrication methodology of these novel structures are presented in detail. Preliminary measurements demonstrate the proof-of-concept indicating an insertion loss below 9.3 dB, including fiber-chip coupling loss and the 6 dB intrinsic loss.
Time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) is the most prominent technique for fast acquisition of broadband terahertz (THz) spectra with update rates of several ten Hz up to kHz. However, fast tunable continuous-wave (cw) laser sources enable rapid acquisition of broadband THz signals without the well-known drawbacks of THz-TDS systems: mechanical delay lines and femtosecond pulse lasers. In this work, we make use of a fast tunable laser to demonstrate coherent continuouswave THz spectroscopy with unprecedented speed and bandwidth. The system features three different modes of operation exploiting both broad spectral bandwidth and high frequency resolution. In broadband mode, 2 THz-wide spectra with 800 MHz resolution can be acquired at a continuous update rate (UR) of 24 Hz. To our knowledge, this is the highest update rate of a broadband, phase-sensitive cw THz spectrometer. In high-speed mode, 200 GHz wide spectra are acquired with 800 MHz resolution at an UR of 120 Hz, ideal for high-speed spectroscopy of absorption lines. In high-resolution mode, frequency steps of 20 MHz and a scan range of 200 GHz allow for high-resolution gas spectroscopy. In broadband and high-speed mode, the peak dynamic range exceeds 65 dB for single shot measurements. More than 100 dB peak dynamic range and a 3 THz bandwidth are obtained after 7 min. averaging in the broadband mode. Due to its high update rates, in combination with high bandwidth and flexible operation modes, this system paves the way for industry-scale non-destructive testing based on cw THz technology.
Within the last decade, photoconductive terahertz (THz) systems have become well-established tools in scientific laboratories and industrial R&D departments. In particular, the exploitation of telecommunication technology around 1.5 μm wavelength enabled this development. Continuous wave (cw) THz systems benefit especially from telecom technology since the required optical components are already available. As no femtosecond fiber-laser is needed, photonic integration may lead to extremely compact cw THz devices. We present a fully fiber-coupled cw THz system in combination with optimized InGaAs-based emitter and detector antennas and an optical phase modulator. This system can be employed as both, a highly precise spectroscopic tool and a high-speed measurement system for non-destructive testing. In addition, we present recent results on heterodyne cw THz spectroscopy. This is a prerequisite for future broadband, wireless telecommunication systems using THz carrier frequencies. The fiber-coupled heterodyne receiver is able to detect THz signals up to 1 THz with an intermediate frequency of 2.2 GHz. These are the highest values reported for photoconductive heterodyne receivers so far.
We present terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) as a versatile tool for applications in non-destructive testing. Due to fiber-coupled THz systems, which exploit the advantages of mature telecommunication technology, THz- TDS is a promising tool for industrial process control. As an example, we demonstrate thickness measurements on multilayered plastic pipes by combining THz reflection measurements with a transfer matrix method for data evaluation. Furthermore, we show the potential of THz-TDS for time resolved 2D imaging. For this, we combine a photoconductive near-field probe with a commercially available fiber-coupled THz TDS system. Due to the coherent measurement scheme, which provides amplitude and phase information at each sampling point, in combination with an acquisition rate of 40 pulse traces per second, dynamic processes on the picosecond timescale can be monitored with unprecedented resolution. Exemplarily, we visualize the propagation of a THz-wave on the surface a of photoconductive THz emitter with a lateral resolution of 20 μm and sub-picosecond temporal resolution.
Photonic devices and new functions based on HHI’s hybrid integration platform PolyBoard are presented providing lowloss thin-film-element-based light routing, an on-chip micro-optical bench and flexible chips comprising optical and electrical waveguides. The newly developed transfer and integration of graphene layers enables the fabrication of active optoelectronic devices in the intrinsically passive polymer waveguide networks with bandwidths in the GHz range. These novel functionalities in combination with the mature thermo-optic components of the PolyBoard platform such as tunable lasers, switches and variable attenuators pave the way towards new applications of photonic integrated circuits in communications and sensors.
Graphene with its high carrier mobility as well as its tunable light absorption is an attractive active material for highspeed electro-absorption modulators (EAMs). Large-area CVD-grown graphene monolayers can be transferred onto arbitrary substrates to add active optoelectronic properties to intrinsically passive photonic integration platforms. In this work, we present graphene-based EAMs integrated in passive polymer waveguides. To facilitate modulation frequencies in the GHz range, a 50 Ω termination resistor as well as a DC blocking capacitor are integrated with graphene EAMs for the first time. Large signal data transmission experiments were carried out across the O, C and L optical communications bands. The fastest devices exhibit a 3-dB bandwidth of more than 4 GHz. Our analytical model of the modulation response for the graphene-based EAMs is in good agreement with the measurement results. It predicts that bandwidths greater than 50 GHz are possible with future device iterations. Owing to the absorption properties of the graphene layers, the devices are expected to be functional at smaller wavelengths of interest for optical interconnects and data-communications as well, offering a novel flexibility for the integration of high-speed functionalities in optoelectronic integrated circuits. Our work is the first step towards an Active Optical Printed Circuit Board, hiding the optics completely inside the board and thus removing entry barriers in manufacturing. We believe this will lead to the same success as observed in Active Optical Cables for short range optically wired connections.
A hybrid polymer/InP dual DBR laser at 1.5μm is presented as an optical source for heterodyne generation and detection of cw-THz signals. The device consists of an active InP chip as an active gain element, end-fire coupled to a polymer chip with thermo-optically tunable phase shifters and Bragg gratings. Mode-hop-free tuning of 1.1 THz has been achieved on the single DBR lasers. The usability of such sources for heterodyne cw-THz generation has been demonstrated in a coherent cw-THz setup. Scans in the THz range show a resolution of the H2O absorption lines comparable to the results achievable with commercially-available external-cavity diode lasers.
Hybrid photonic integration allows individual components to be developed at their best-suited material platforms without sacrificing the overall performance. In the past few years a polymer-enabled hybrid integration platform has been established, comprising 1) EO polymers for constructing low-complexity and low-cost Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) with extremely high modulation bandwidth; 2) InP components for light sources, detectors, and high-speed electronics including MUX drivers and DEMUX circuits; 3) Ceramic (AIN) RF board that links the electronic signals within the package. On this platform, advanced optoelectronic modules have been demonstrated, including serial 100 Gb/s [1] and 2x100 Gb/s [2] optical transmitters, but also 400 Gb/s optoelectronic interfaces for intra-data center networks [3]. To expand the device functionalities to an unprecedented level and at the same time improve the integration compatibility with diversified active / passive photonic components, we have added a passive polymer-based photonic board (polyboard) as the 4th material system. This passive polyboard allows for low-cost fabrication of single-mode waveguide networks, enables fast and convenient integration of various thin-film elements (TFEs) to control the light polarization, and provides efficient thermo-optic elements (TOEs) for wavelength tuning, light amplitude regulation and light-path switching.
We present a photonic integrated circuit, which enables the full control of the THz signal in continuous wave photomixing THz systems via standard electronics. The device comprises two DFB-lasers and an optical phase modulator on a single chip. Due to a unique bidirectional operation technique, the chip provides the optical beat signal for both THz emitter and THz receiver and allows for manipulation of the THz phase via the optical phase modulator. To evaluate the performance of our solution, we realize a coherent cw THz system based on our photonic integrated circuit and compare it to discrete lasers and standard components. As the results show, both setups feature an identical signal-to-noise ratio, reaching 50 dB at a frequency of 1 THz for an integration time of 500 ms. This is the best reported performance of CW photomixing systems running at 1.5 μm optical wavelength.
In this work, a direct DQPSK receiver was fabricated, which comprises a polymer waveguide based delay-line
interferometer (DLI); a polymer based optical hybrid, and two monolithic pairs of > 25 GHz bandwidth photodiodes that
are vertically coupled to the polymer planar lightwave circuit (PLC) via integrated 45° mirrors. The common mode
rejection ratio (CMRR) is used to characterize the performance of coherent receivers, by indicating the electrical power
balance between the balanced detectors. However, the standard CMRR can only be measured when the PDs can be
illuminated separately. Also, the standard CMRR does not take into account the errors in the relative phases of the
receiver outputs. We introduce an adapted CMRR to characterize the direct receiver, which takes into account the
unequal responsivities of the PDs, the uneven split of the input power by the DLI and hybrid, the phase error and the
extinction ratio of the DLI and hybrid.
Low cost and compact transmitters are key components for short reach and datacom applications in fiber communication
systems. Bit rates of 40 Gbit/s are beyond the speed limitation of conventional directly modulated lasers. Lasers with an
integrated electro-absorption modulator (EML) represent one possible solution. An attractive alternative are Passive
Feedback Lasers (PFL). Here, the modulation bandwidth is significantly increased by an integrated feedback section.
Underlying physics and functionality of the PFL are presented as well as the successful realization at wavelengths in the
1300 nm and 1550 nm regions. The performance of these PFLs is demonstrated in system experiments.
Worldwide, higher-order modulation formats are intensively investigated to further increase the spectral efficiency for
building the next generation of high-speed metro systems. IQ-modulators, coherent receivers and electronic equalizers
are hereby discussed as key devices. We report on system design issues as well as on HHI's latest achievements in
developing InP based high-speed modulators and coherent receiver frontends.
The potential of Terahertz technology for various applications in security or material inspection has now been
demonstrated widely. However, THz systems have to shrink in size and price to become acceptable for real-world
applications. Our way to approach this target is to exploit technologies developed and matured originally for 1.55 μm
fiber-optic telecom applications.
Key devices are photoconductive antennas for 1.55 μm operation. They were developed using a novel InGaAs/InAlAs
multi-layer structure. The antennas are packaged into fiber coupled modules. These handheld THz heads are driven by a
1.55 μm pulsed fiber laser. A tunable delay with both an oscillating mirror and a precise linear drive allow for real-time
measurements as well as for high resolution spectroscopy. The system performance up to 4 THz is demonstrated.
In this paper, different hybridly integrated optical devices including optical multiplexer/ demultiplexer and
optical transceivers are described. The devices were made using polymer planar light wave circuit (P2LC)
technology. Laser diodes, photodiodes, and thin-film filters have been integrated. Key issues involved in this
technology, in particular the coupling between laser diodes and polymer waveguides, and between
waveguides and photodiodes and also fibers are discussed.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.