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Source: OFweek Light Communication network

Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, recently announced that they have successfully achieved a data transfer rate of 1.84 Pbit/s using a single photon chip connected through a single fiber optic cable. The results were recently published in a recent issue of Nature Photonics.

The international team managed to set the new record using a single light source on a 37-core optical fiber spanning 7.9 kilometers (4.9 miles). The light source is a custom-designed frequency comb-ring resonator that can use light from a single infrared laser to output multiple colors of the rainbow spectrum (i.e., multiple frequencies) and is capable of producing 223 wavelength channels (equivalent to 223 data blocks generated by 37 lines). By comparison, an equivalent system today typically requires more than 1,000 lasers, marking a significant reduction in the size and power consumption of Internet delivery systems.

The breakthrough, which sets a new record for using a single computer chip to transmit data over optical cables, is expected to lead to more powerful chips, reducing energy costs and increasing bandwidth, the team said. In addition, miniaturization has been a key breakthrough -- the team calculates that if the system were modified to resemble a small server, it could transmit as much data as 8,251 matchbox-sized devices currently do.

The system already transmits almost twice the average global Internet traffic of 1Pbit per second. "We also present a theoretical analysis showing that a single cha-level light source would be expected to support transmission rates of 100Pbit/s in massively parallel spatial and wavelength multiplexed data transmission systems," the researchers said. Our findings may mark a shift in the design of future communication systems, particularly efficient transmitters and receivers."

Professor Victor Torres-Company of Chalmers University of Technology points out: "What makes this chip special is that it produces a frequency comb that has the ideal characteristics of fibre-optic communications -- it has high enough optical power and covers a wide band in the spectral region that is critical for advanced optical communications."

The researchers say that some of the characteristic parameters of the light source were achieved by accident rather than design. After much effort, the team was able to reverse engineer this process and achieve highly reproducible microcombs for targeted applications in the telecommunications field.

Leif Katsuo Oxenl? "Our calculations show that using a single chip and a single laser manufactured at Chalmers University of Technology, we will be able to transmit data up to 100Pbit/s," said Prof We.

He added: "Our solution offers the potential to replace hundreds of thousands of lasers in Internet hubs and data centres, which used to consume a lot of power and generate a lot of heat. Now we have the opportunity to contribute to a more low-carbon environment for the Internet."

Leif Katsuo Oxenl? "The world is trying to integrate laser sources into optical chips, and we are trying to do the same," Professor We said. The more components we integrate in the chip (i.e., laser, comb, data modulator, and any amplifier elements), the more efficient the overall transmitter will be. It will be a very efficient optical transmitter of data signals."