摘要
Mode-division multiplexing(MDM)technology enables high-bandwidth data transmission using orthogonal waveguide modes to construct parallel data streams.However,few demonstrations have been realized for generating and supporting high-order modes,mainly due to the intrinsic large material groupvelocity dispersion(GVD),which make it challenging to selectively couple different-order spatial modes.We show the feasibility of on-chip GVD engineering by introducing a gradient-index metamaterial structure,which enables a robust and fully scalable MDM process.We demonstrate a record-high-order MDM device that supports TE_(0)–TE_(15)modes simultaneously.40-GBaud 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation signals encoded on 16 mode channels contribute to a 2.162 Tbit∕s net data rate,which is the highest data rate ever reported for an on-chip single-wavelength transmission.Our method can effectively expand the number of channels provided by MDM technology and promote the emerging research fields with great demand for parallelism,such as high-capacity optical interconnects,high-dimensional quantum communications,and large-scale neural networks.
基金
supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2021YFB2800103)
National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(Grant Nos.62105202,61835008,61860206001,61975115,62035016,and 62105200).
