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Silicon-based on-chip hybrid (de)multiplexers

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Abstract

A review is given on the recent progress of silicon-based on-chip hybrid multiplexers, which are the key elements to enable more than one (de)multiplexing techniques simultaneously, including wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM), polarization-division-multiplexing (PDM), and mode-division-multiplexing (MDM). This helps enhance the link capacity of optical interconnects multiplexed with many channels. The first part gives a review on the recent developed silicon-based hybrid WDM-PDM (de)multiplexers enabling WDM and PDM simultaneously, which helps achieve 2N channels by introducing N wavelengths and dual polarizations. The recent progress of silicon-based hybrid WDM-MDM (de)multiplexers developed is reviewed in the second part. With the hybrid WDM-MDM (de)multiplexers, one can achieve N×M channels by using N wavelengths and M guided-modes. Finally, the silicon-based hybrid MDM-PDM (de)multiplexers are presented as the key to enhance the link capacity for a single wavelength carrier.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant Nos. 61725503, 61422510, 61431166001), and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. Z18F050002).

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Correspondence to Daoxin Dai.

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Li, C., Wu, H., Tan, Y. et al. Silicon-based on-chip hybrid (de)multiplexers. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 61, 080407 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-018-9504-6

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