High-Speed 9.6-μm Long-Wave Infrared Free- Space Transmission with a Directly-Modulated QCL and a Fully-Passive QCDShow others and affiliations
2023 (English)In: Journal of Lightwave Technology, ISSN 0733-8724, E-ISSN 1558-2213, Vol. 41, no 4, p. 1087-Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Free-space optics (FSO) in the mid-infrared (mid- IR) contains rich spectral resources for future ultrahigh-speed wireless communications yet is currently under-exploited. Two atmospheric transmission windows at the mid-IR, namely, the mid-wave IR (MWIR, 3-5 µm) and the long-wave IR (LWIR, 8-12 µm), show great potential in supporting free-space communications for both terrestrial and space application scenarios. Particularly, the LWIR signal with a longer wavelength has high intrinsic robustness against aerosols' scattering and turbulence-induced scintillation and beam broadening effects, which are the main concerns hindering the wide deployment of practical FSO systems. In this context, high-bandwidth semiconductor-based mid-IR FSO transceivers will be desirable to meet the requirements of low energy consumption and small footprints for large-volume development and deployment. Quantum cascade devices, including quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) and quantum cascade detectors (QCDs), appear promising candidates to fulfill this role. In this work, we report a high-speed LWIR FSO transmission demonstration with a 9.6-µm directly-modulated (DM)-QCL and a fully passive QCD without any active cooling or bias voltage. Up to 8 Gb/s, 10 Gb/s, and 11 Gb/s signal transmissions are achieved when operating the DM- QCL at 10°C, 5°C, and 0°C, respectively. These results indicate a significant step towards an envisioned fully-connected mid-IR FSO solution empowered by the quantum cascade semiconductor devices.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. , 2023. Vol. 41, no 4, p. 1087-
Keywords [en]
Coplanar waveguides, Detectors, Free-space optics, long-wave infrared, Optical waveguides, Photoconductivity, quantum cascade detector, quantum cascade laser, Quantum cascade lasers, Semiconductor device measurement, Temperature measurement, Energy utilization, Infrared devices, Infrared radiation, Molecular beam epitaxy, Radio transceivers, Space optics, Directly modulated, Free-space transmission, Freespace optics, High Speed, Longwave infrared, Midinfrared, Quantum cascade detectors, Semiconductor device measurements, Ultra high speed, Wireless communications
National Category
Physical Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-61460DOI: 10.1109/JLT.2022.3207010Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85139421601OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-61460DiVA, id: diva2:1717138
Note
This work was supported in part by the EU H2020 cFLOW Project (828893), in part from the ENS-THALES Chair, in part by the Swedish Research Council (VR) projects 2019-05197 and 2016-04510, in part by the by COST Action CA19111 NEWFOCUS, in part by the ERDF-funded CARAT project (No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/4/20/660) and in part by RTU Science Support Fund
2022-12-072022-12-072024-03-04Bibliographically approved