Software-defined reconfigurable VCSEL-based transmission.

We propose and demonstrate a programmable and self-adaptive VCSEL-based transponder for short-reach applications that is easily extensible up to access and metro scenarios. The transponder presents a monitoring system that feeds the transponder controller in order to maintain the proper transmission performance. The emerging NETCONF protocol including the YANG model controls and manages the transponder. NETCONF messages are reported for two reference scenarios - uncooled and cooled systems - together with performance at varying environment conditions. For the uncooled scenario heating processes on the board are emulated with various dynamics, the effect on the performance of a 25 Gbps WDM channel is checked through optical power monitoring and the control plane reacts so as to optimize the performance by suitably controlling the bias current. For slow temperature variations the system is able to avoid service outage whereas for variations faster than 1.3 °C/s outage occurs and corresponding notifications are opportunely triggered. For the cooled scenario, an optical power loss is emulated with consequent service outage, leading to a reconfiguration of the transponder data rate from 25 to 10 Gbps, so as to recover successful transmission.

Far-field, linewidth and thermal characteristics of a high-speed 1550-nm MEMS tunable VCSEL.

We report an electrically pumped 1550 nm MEMS tunable VCSEL with a continuous tuning of 101 nm at 22 °C. The top MEMS-DBR with built-in stress gradient within the dielectric layers is deposited in a low-temperature PECVD chamber on an InP-based half-VCSEL, structured by surface-micromachining and electrothermally actuated for continuous wavelength tuning. With 2.6 mA threshold current, the laser shows maximum CW output power of 3.2 mW at 1560 nm. The MEMS-VCSEL operates in single-mode with SMSR > 39 dB across the entire tuning range. At 36 °C, the tuning range reaches up to 107 nm. The divergence angle of the MEMS-VCSEL is approximately 5.6° for all tuning wavelengths. The intrinsic linewidth of an unpackaged device is 21 MHz. Quasi-error-free operation at 12.5 Gbps using a directly modulated MEMS-VCSEL is reported for a record 60 nm tuning, showing the potential of the so-called colorless source in WDM applications.

Quad 14 Gbps L-band VCSEL-based system for WDM migration of 4-lanes 56 Gbps optical data links.

We report on migrating multiple-lane link into an L-band VCSEL-based WDM system. Experimental validation achieves successful transmission over 10 km of SMF at 4x14Gbps. Inter-channel crosstalk penalty is observed to be less than 0.5 dB and a transmission penalty around 1 dB. The power budget margin ranges within 6 dB and 7 dB.

All-VCSEL based digital coherent detection link for multi Gbit/s WDM passive optical networks.

We report on experimental demonstration of a digital coherent detection link fully based on vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) for the transmitter as well as for the local oscillator light source at the receiver side. We demonstrate operation at 5 Gbps at a 1550 nm wavelength with record receiver sensitivity of -36 dBm after transmission over 40 km standard single mode fiber. Digital signal processing compensates for frequency offset between the transmitter and the local oscillator VCSELs, and for chromatic dispersion. This system allows for uncooled VCSEL operation and fully passive fiber transmission with no use of optical amplification or optical dispersion compensation. The proposed system demonstrates the potential of multi-gigabit coherent passive optical networks with extended reach and increased capacity. Moreover, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of coherent optical transmission systems using a low-cost VCSEL as the local oscillator as well as for the transmitter.