New chip transmits data quickly with light

Researchers from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) have presented a chip in which electronic signals

are converted into ultra-high-speed light withoutloss of quality. The discovery could be a major breakthrough that will increase the efficiency of optical communications infrastructures that use light to transmit data, such as fiber optic networks. The new chip could improve data transmission over the Internet.

“Now electronic signals are being converted tolight using separate chips - so we lose a significant amount of signal quality. This is what limits the speed of data transmission with the help of light. Therefore, we started with the development of a modulator - a component on a chip that generates light of a given intensity, converting electrical signals into light waves. The modulator size is very small in order to avoid loss of quality and intensity during the conversion process, ”the scientists explained.

Due to the fact that these chips are very compact,Researchers can make small monolithic circuits that include both the photonic and electronic layers. In order to convert electrical signals to even faster optical ones, the photonic layer contains a plasma intensity modulator. It is based on metal structures that direct light to achieve high data rates.

The chip has four input signals with lowerspeeds combine and amplify, forming a high-speed electrical signal. In preliminary tests, scientists were able to transfer data for the first time at a speed of 100 gigabits per second using a monolithic chip.

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