On-Chip Wavelength Generation for DWDM Photonic Transceivers

Analog Photonics proposes a silicon photonics-based DWDM transceiver with on-chip wavelength generation using a novel external cavity laser architecture. The design leverages a reflective optical phased array (OPA) filter to enable >16 tunable wavelength channels on a 100–400?GHz frequency grid with microsecond-scale reconfigurability, narrow linewidth, and high output power. The entire laser array is integrated on a single PIC using AP’s proven hybrid integration of III-V gain materials, enabling compact, thermally stable lasers without reliance on microrings. Each laser cavity occupies 1–5?mm2 and delivers >3.3?mW/channel, sufficient for >100?m of SMF with 2?dB link margin. AP’s >40?GHz MZMs and >30?GHz Ge-on-Si photodiodes support 32?Gb/s NRZ operation with <3?pJ/bit energy consumption, enabled by co-packaged flip-chip CMOS ASICs for laser control, modulation, and detection. A secondary architecture explores quantum dot gain media and periodic filter structures to generate wavelength combs, potentially fitting all channels in 1-5?mm2. Phase I tasks include gain/cavity modeling, cavity design optimization, and electronic IC definition and simulation, supported by AP’s in-house packaging and test facilities. The proposed solution meets all target metrics and is designed for scalable commercial deployment.