Energy-Efficient 50+ Gb/s VCSELs for 200+ Gb/s Optical Interconnects

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for 200+ Gbit/s single fiber data transmission across OM5 multimode fiber with a heat to bit rate ratio (HBR) of only 240 fJ/bit based on coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) are presented. Tuning the cavity photon lifetime is demonstrated to lead to an increase of the data rate in concert with a reduction of the HBR. The VCSELs are emitting at 850 nm, 880 nm, 910 nm, and 940 nm, the present IEEE 802.3 coarse wavelength multiplexing standard.