Rui Lin

Bio: Rui Lin is an academic researcher from Chalmers University of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Optical performance monitoring & Transmission (telecommunications). The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 82 publications receiving 578 citations. Previous affiliations of Rui Lin include Royal Institute of Technology & Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

200 Gbps/Lane IM/DD Technologies for Short Reach Optical Interconnects

Abstract: Client-side optics are facing an ever-increasing upgrading pace, driven by upcoming 5G related services and datacenter applications. The demand for a single lane data rate is soon approaching 200 Gbps. To meet such high-speed requirement, all segments of traditional intensity modulation direct detection (IM/DD) technologies are being challenged. The characteristics of electrical and optoelectronic components and the performance of modulation, coding, and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques are being stretched to their limits. In this context, we witnessed technological breakthroughs in several aspects, including development of broadband devices, novel modulation formats and coding, and high-performance DSP algorithms for the past few years. A great momentum has been accumulated to overcome the aforementioned challenges. In this article, we focus on IM/DD transmissions, and provide an overview of recent research and development efforts on key enabling technologies for 200 Gbps per lane and beyond. Our recent demonstrations of 200 Gbps short-reach transmissions with 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and discrete multitone signals are also presented as examples to show the system requirements in terms of device characteristics and DSP performance. Apart from digital coherent technologies and advanced direct detection systems, such as Stokes–vector and Kramers–Kronig schemes, we expect high-speed IM/DD systems will remain advantageous in terms of system cost, power consumption, and footprint for short reach applications in the short- to mid- term perspective.

Disaggregated Data Centers: Challenges and Trade-offs

Abstract: Disaggregated data centers (DCs) can offer high flexibility for resource allocation; hence, their resource utilization can be significantly improved. However, communications between different types of resources, in particular between CPU and memory, in fully disaggregated DCs face severe problems in terms of stringent requirements for ultra-low latency and ultra-high transmission bandwidth. Optical fiber communication is promising to provide high capacity and low latency, but it is still challenging for the state-of-the-art optical technologies to meet the requirements of fully disaggregated DCs. In this article, different levels of resource disaggregation are investigated. For fully disaggregated DCs, two architectural options are presented, where optical interconnects are necessary for the CPU-memory communications. We review the state-of-the-art optical transmission and switching technologies, and analyze pros and cons of their applicability in the disaggregated DCs. The results reveal that resource disaggregation does improve the resource utilization in DCs. However, the bandwidth provided by the state-of-the-art technologies is not always sufficient for fully disaggregated DCs. It calls for further advances in optical communications to fully utilize the advantages of fully disaggregated DCs.

Performance-Enhanced Direct Detection Optical OFDM Transmission With CAZAC Equalization

Abstract: Direct detection optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DDO-OFDM) transmission with constant amplitude zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) sequence equalization is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Simulation results show that more than 2-dB peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction can be realized using CAZAC equalization, and 50-km standard single mode fiber (SSMF) transmission of 4.11-Gb/s QPSK-OFDM can be achieved with bit-error rate (BER) under forward error correction limit. Transmission performance of QPSK-based DDO-OFDM system is analyzed in both OB2B configuration and fiber link with and without CAZAC equalization. More than 2.5-dB optical receiver sensitivity improvements can be obtained thanks to the PAPR reduction enjoyed by CAZAC equalization. Signal-to-noise ratio for every subcarrier derived from error vector magnitude is estimated and its flatness is confirmed to be much improved with CAZAC equalization. The performance improvements brought by CAZAC equalization can be extended to other modulation formats, and 8.22-Gb/s 16-quadratic-amplitude modulation-OFDM signals transmission using CAZAC equalization is demonstrated with over 1.5 dB enhancement in receiver sensitivity.

Enabling Technologies for Optical Data Center Networks: Spatial Division Multiplexing

Abstract: With the continuously growing popularity of cloud services, the traffic volume inside the data centers is dramatically increasing. As a result, a scalable and efficient infrastructure for data center networks (DCNs) is required. The current optical DCNs using either individual fibers or fiber ribbons are costly, bulky, hard to manage, and not scalable. Spatial division multiplexing (SDM) based on multicore or multimode (few-mode) fibers is recognized as a promising technology to increase the spatial efficiency for optical DCNs, which opens a new way towards high capacity and scalability. This tutorial provides an overview of the components, transmission options, and interconnect architectures for SDM-based DCNs, as well as potential technical challenges and future directions. It also covers the co-existence of SDM and other multiplexing techniques, such as wavelength-division multiplexing and flexible spectrum multiplexing, in optical DCNs.

Multicore-Fiber-Enabled WSDM Optical Access Network With Centralized Carrier Delivery and RSOA-Based Adaptive Modulation

Abstract: We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a wavelength-space division multiplexing (WSDM) optical access network architecture with centralized optical carrier delivery utilizing multicore fibers (MCFs) and adaptive modulation based on reflective semiconductor amplifier (RSOA). In our experiment, five of the outer cores are used for undirectional downstream (DS) transmission only, whereas the remaining outer core is utilized as a dedicated channel to transmit upstream (US) signals. Optical carriers for US are delivered from the optical line terminal (OLT) to the optical network unit (ONU) via the inner core and then transmitted back to the OLT after amplification and modulation by the RSOA in the colorless ONU side. The mobile backhaul (MB) service is also supported by the inner core. Wavelengths used in US transmission should be different from that of the MB in order to avoid the Rayleigh backscattering effect in bidirectional transmission. With quadrature phase-shift keying--orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (QPSK-OFDM) modulation format, the aggregation DS capacity reaches 250 Gb/s using five outer cores and ten wavelengths, and it can be further scaled to 1 Tb/s using 20 wavelengths modulated with 16 QAM-OFDM. For US transmission, 2.5 Gb/s QPSK-OFDM transmission can be achieved just using a low-bandwidth RSOA, and adaptive modulation is applied to the RSOA to further enhance the US data rate to 3.12 Gb/s. As an emulation of high-speed MB transmission, 48 Gb/s in-phase and quadrature (IQ) modulated popularization division multiplexing (PDM)-QPSK signal is transmitted in the inner core of MCF and coherently detected in the OLT side. Both DS and US optical signals exhibit acceptable performance with sufficient power budget.

Single-shot BOTDA based on an optical chirp chain probe wave for distributed ultrafast measurement.

Abstract: Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA) requires frequency mapping of the Brillouin spectrum to obtain environmental information (e.g., temperature or strain) over the length of the sensing fiber, with the finite frequency-sweeping time-limiting applications to only static or slowly varying strain or temperature environments. To solve this problem, we propose the use of an optical chirp chain probe wave to remove the requirement of frequency sweeping for the Brillouin spectrum, which enables distributed ultrafast strain measurement with a single pump pulse. The optical chirp chain is generated using a frequency-agile technique via a fast-frequency-changing microwave, which covers a larger frequency range around the Stokes frequency relative to the pump wave, so that a distributed Brillouin gain spectrum along the fiber is realized. Dynamic strain measurements for periodic mechanical vibration, mechanical shock, and a switch event are demonstrated at sampling rates of 25 kHz, 2.5 MHz and 6.25 MHz, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of distributed Brillouin strain sensing with a wide-dynamic range at a sampling rate of up to the MHz level.

200 Gbps/Lane IM/DD Technologies for Short Reach Optical Interconnects

Abstract: Client-side optics are facing an ever-increasing upgrading pace, driven by upcoming 5G related services and datacenter applications. The demand for a single lane data rate is soon approaching 200 Gbps. To meet such high-speed requirement, all segments of traditional intensity modulation direct detection (IM/DD) technologies are being challenged. The characteristics of electrical and optoelectronic components and the performance of modulation, coding, and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques are being stretched to their limits. In this context, we witnessed technological breakthroughs in several aspects, including development of broadband devices, novel modulation formats and coding, and high-performance DSP algorithms for the past few years. A great momentum has been accumulated to overcome the aforementioned challenges. In this article, we focus on IM/DD transmissions, and provide an overview of recent research and development efforts on key enabling technologies for 200 Gbps per lane and beyond. Our recent demonstrations of 200 Gbps short-reach transmissions with 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and discrete multitone signals are also presented as examples to show the system requirements in terms of device characteristics and DSP performance. Apart from digital coherent technologies and advanced direct detection systems, such as Stokes–vector and Kramers–Kronig schemes, we expect high-speed IM/DD systems will remain advantageous in terms of system cost, power consumption, and footprint for short reach applications in the short- to mid- term perspective.

OFDM for Optical Communications

Abstract: Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a modulation technique which is now used in most new and emerging broadband wired and wireless communication systems because it is an effective solution to intersymbol interference caused by a dispersive channel. Very recently a number of researchers have shown that OFDM is also a promising technology for optical communications. This paper gives a tutorial overview of OFDM highlighting the aspects that are likely to be important in optical applications. To achieve good performance in optical systems OFDM must be adapted in various ways. The constraints imposed by single mode optical fiber, multimode optical fiber and optical wireless are discussed and the new forms of optical OFDM which have been developed are outlined. The main drawbacks of OFDM are its high peak to average power ratio and its sensitivity to phase noise and frequency offset. The impairments that these cause are described and their implications for optical systems discussed.

The Evolution of Quantum Key Distribution Networks: On the Road to the Qinternet

Abstract: Quantum key distribution (QKD) constitutes a symmetric secret key negotiation protocol capable of maintaining information-theoretic security. Given the recent advances in QKD networks, they have evolved from academic research to some preliminary applications. A QKD network consists of two or more QKD nodes interconnected by optical fiber or free space links. The secret keys are negotiated between any pair of QKD nodes, and then they can be delivered to multiple users in various areas for ensuring long-term protection and forward secrecy. We commence by introducing the QKD basics, followed by reviewing the development of QKD networks and their implementation in practice. Subsequently, we describe the general QKD network architecture, its elements, as well as its interfaces and protocols. Next, we provide an in-depth overview of the associated physical layer and network layer solutions, followed by the standardization efforts as well as the application scenarios associated with QKD networks. Finally, we discuss the potential future research directions and provide design guidelines for QKD networks.

Quantum information processing with space-division multiplexing optical fibres

Abstract: The optical fibre is an essential tool for our communication infrastructure since it is the main transmission channel for optical communications. The latest major advance in optical fibre technology is spatial division multiplexing (SDM), where new fibre designs and components establish multiple co-existing data channels based on light propagation over distinct transverse optical modes. Simultaneously, there have been many recent developments in the field of quantum information processing (QIP), with novel protocols and devices in areas such as computing, communication and metrology. Here, we review recent works implementing QIP protocols with SDM optical fibres, and discuss new possibilities for manipulating quantum systems based on this technology.