Analog Coherent Detection for Energy Efficient Intra-Data Center Links at 200 Gbps Per Wavelength

As datacenters continue to scale in size, energy efficiency for short reach (-12can be achieved and is compatible with higher error rates that require forward error correction (FEC). We present a comparison of silicon and InP platforms and evaluate both traveling-wave and segmented modulator designs, providing an illustration of the wide design space before converging on the most promising architectures that maximize energy efficiency and minimize laser power. We establish the theoretical potential to achieve picojoule-per-bit energy efficiency targets.