CoPackaging of Terabit direct-detection and coherent Optical Engines and switching circuits in mulTIChip moduleS for Datacenter networks and the 5G optical fronthaul
[January 2020 – December 2022]
PCRL coordinated the POETICS Project. POETICS was an H2020 Research and Innovation project funded by the European Union, aiming to advance optical interconnect technology by enhancing performance, functionality, and cost efficiency, enabling Datacenter (DC) networks to scale and 5G wired infrastructures to expand.
Achieving terabit-capacity optical interconnects required a paradigm shift in packaging approaches. The electrical interconnect distance between the optical engine (OE) and the digital switching chip had to be minimized, while signal conditioning chips and unnecessary components—such as sockets that would otherwise increase power consumption and degrade signal integrity—needed to be removed. It also demanded the integration of the right combination of photonic and electronic technologies to deliver high-performance, low-cost, and energy-efficient optical engines.
POETICS developed novel terabit optical engines and optical switching circuits, co-packaging them with digital switching chips to create Multi-Chip Modules (MCM) for next-generation switching equipment with capacities exceeding 12.8 Tb/s and high energy efficiency, aligning with vendor roadmaps.
To achieve these goals, POETICS utilized SiGe BiCMOS, InP, PolyBoard, and TriPleX technologies, relying on hybrid integration to select and combine the best-performing components. The specific targets of POETICS included the development of:
MCM coherent 64 Gbaud OEs with up to 600 Gb/s capacity for DC interconnect applications, supporting 80 – 120 km reach in accordance with the 400G-ZR specification.
MCMs with 1.6 Tb/s OEs based on 8-fold InP-EML arrays (200 Gb/s per lane) and PolyBoard with parallel SMFs, aligned with the PSM/DR specification for 500 m – 2 km intra-DC connectivity;
MCMs with 1.6 Tb/s OEs based on 8-fold InP-EML arrays (200 Gb/s per lane) and 3D PolyBoard with duplex MCFs for 5G optical fronthaul applications;
A low-power-consumption 3D Benes optical switch;
