High-speed data transmission via wafer-scale aluminium nitride microresonator frequency comb

High-speed data transmission via wafer-scale aluminium nitride microresonator frequency comb

Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XXX

10.1117/12.3100473

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3100473

Nanxi Li, George Chen, Yao Wang, Hyo Jun Joo, Zhuge Yangyang, Wing Wai Chung, Yanmei Cao, Zhan Jiang Quek, Landobasa Tobing, Chong Pei Ho, Huamao Lin, Yeow Teck Toh, Suan Neng Foo, Yat Fung Tsang, Chengkuo Lee, Xianshu Luo, Dawn Tan

04 March 2026

Li, N., Chen, G., Wang, Y., Joo, H. J., Yangyang, Z., Chung, W. W., Cao, Y., Quek, Z. J., Tobing, L., Ho, C. P., Lin, H., Toh, Y. T., Foo, S. N., Tsang, Y. F., Lee, C., Luo, X., & Tan, D. (2026). High-speed data transmission via wafer-scale aluminium nitride microresonator frequency comb. In S. M. García-Blanco & P. Cheben (Editors), Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XXX. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3100473

The rapid advancement of photonics is driven by growing need for high-capacity transmission in AI and data-center interconnects. Silicon photonics enables low-cost CMOS fabrication, but conventional materials lack second-order nonlinearity and rely on laser-diode arrays for multi-channel links, increasing cost and complexity. A frequency comb provides a single multi-wavelength source that simplifies the system. Meanwhile, aluminum nitride (AlN) is a CMOS-compatible material with wide transparency and significant second-order nonlinearity. Here, we demonstrate high-speed transmission using a frequency comb generated from a high-Q (>1×10⁶) AlN microring on an 8-inch CMOS-compatible platform. A pump laser is amplified, coupled into the resonator to generate comb, and a selected comb line is filtered, reamplified, and intensity modulated. Using a Mach–Zehnder modulator, we transmit 29-GBaud PAM4 and 30-Gbps NRZ signals over 10 km of fiber. The obtained BERs of 10⁻⁸ (PAM4) and 10⁻⁶ (NRZ) surpasses typical FEC limits. Open eye diagrams have high similarity to back-to-back results, demonstrating strong potential of AlN-based combs for scalable cost-effective high-speed communication.

Publisher Copyright

This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Chip-scale Multispectral 3D Scanner (CMUS)
Grant Reference no. : M23M5a0069

This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - On-chip Mode-Locked Lasers using Heterogeneous Integration of Graphene for Scalable Manufacturing
Grant Reference no. : M23M6c0109

This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) - Competitive Research Programme - CMOS Photonics Platform for Next Generation Photonics AI Engines
Grant Reference no. : NRF-F-CRP-2024-0006

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https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/23125

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3100473

Institute of Microelectronics