Photonic crystal-connected bidirectional micro-ring resonator array for duplex mode and wavelength channel(de)multiplexing

The progress of on-chip optical communication relies on integrated multi-dimensional mode(de)multiplexers to enhance communication capacity and establish comprehensive networks.However,existing multi-dimensional(de)multiplexers,involving modes and wavelengths,face limitations due to their reliance on single-directional total internal reflection and multi-level mode conversion based on directional coupling principles.These constraints restrict their potential for full-duplex functionality and highly integrated communication.We solve these problems by introducing a photonic-like crystal-connected bidirectional micro-ring resonator array(PBMRA)and apply it to duplex mode-wavelength multiplexing communication.The directional independence of total internal reflection and the cumulative effect of the subwavelength-scale pillar within the single-level photonic crystal enable bidirectional mode and wavelength multiplexed signals to transmit among multi-pair nodes without interference,improving on-chip integration in single-level mode conversion.As a proof of concept,we fabricated a nine-channel bidirectional multi-dimensional(de)multiplexer,featuring three wavelengths and three TE modes,compactly housed within a footprint of 80μm×80μm,which efficiently transmits QPSK-OFDM signals at a rate of 216 Gbit/s,achieving a bit error rate lower than 10^(-4).Leveraging the co-ring transmission characteristic and the orthogonality of the mode-wavelength channel,this(de)multiplexer also enables a doubling of communication capacity using two physical transmission channels.