Project EOS: Electro-optical system enables data rates in the terabit range

Data rates up to the TBit/s range – such is the ambitious goal of the internal Fraunhofer project EOS. In order to get within reach of such extremely high data rates, the research team from Fraunhofer HHI, Fraunhofer IIS and Fraunhofer EMFT is seeking to convert several 56 Gbit/s digital-electrical message signals directly and without power-hungry signal processors (DSP) into a multi-stage, optically complex modulation signal.

For this purpose, the scientists are marrying the optical modulator and electrical driver components – previously developed independently of each other – to form a closely dovetailed and precisely tuned functional unit. With indium phosphide (InP) for the photonic IC (PIC) and the 22 nm FD-SOI CMOS electronics with lower power dissipation as compared to SiGe, the most efficient and fastest material systems available are heterogeneously combined in a novel modular structure to create a new electro-optical (e/o) subsystem.

The main task of the Fraunhofer EMFT team is to fabricate fine metal structures on very thin, flexible foil substrates and to integrate the InP and silicon 22nm FD-SOI ICs together with several other components at very demanding distances. The researchers also carried out a detailed analysis of the thermal reliability of the modular integration design using FEM (finite element method) simulations. In addition, analyses of the ESD load and strength were carried out during assembly and testing.