Article | 2026-07-27 Latest Published
By Shen Wang
Yuyi Wang
Haohua Wang
Yuntao Zhu
Junjie Yi
Defeng Shan
Mingwang Jiang
Jiakai Dong
Yunjie Wang
Jingyi Wang
Kaixuan Chen
Xinlun Cai
Jie Liu
Changjian Guo
Siyuan Yu
Liu Liu
PIER Photonics, Vol. 1, 20-30, 2026
Abstract
Optical transmission based on dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) is widely considered a key solution for increasing optical-link capacity. However, the complexity and stringent requirements for optical devices in such systems challenge full integration on a chip. Here, we demonstrate the first monolithic DWDM transmitter chip, built on a thin-film lithium niobate. The chip consists of an easy-to-drive and high-efficiency electro-optical (EO) frequency comb generator for a flat-top multi-wavelength source, a single arrayed waveguide grating for both multiplexing and demultiplexing to ensure no wavelength misalignment, and an EO Mach-Zehnder modulator array. Using a single-wavelength laser as input, the proposed transmitter can deliver a total modulated signal of 1.6 Tbps in eight 100-GHz spacing channels using an intensity-modulation direct-detection scheme. A record high spectral efficiency of 2 bps/Hz was achieved for an integrated DWDM transmission system using optical frequency combs. The energy consumption of the entire system was measured to be 2.76 pJ/bit. This work establishes a scalable route towards a versatile and integrated multi-wavelength data processor for DWDM data transmissions, optical computing, and microwave-photonics.