Direct Modulation and Free-Space Transmissions of up to 6 Gbps Multilevel Signals With a 4.65-μQuantum Cascade Laser at Room Temperature

• A roadmap for future wireless communications is expected to exploit all transmission-suitable spectrum bands, from the microwave to the optical frequencies, to support orders of magnitude faster data transfer with much lower latency than the deployed solutions nowadays. The currently under-exploited mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum is an essential building block for such an envisioned all-spectra wireless communication paradigm. Free-space optical (FSO) communications in the mid-IR region have recently attracted great interest due to their intrinsic merits of low propagation loss and high tolerance of atmospheric perturbations. Future development of viable mid-IR FSO transceivers requires a semiconductor source to fulfill the high bandwidth, low energy consumption, and small footprint requirements. In this context, quantum cascade laser (QCL) appears as a promisingtechnological choice. In this work, we present an experimental demonstration of a mid-IR FSO link enabled by a 4.65-μm directly modulated (DM) QCL operating at room temperature. We achieve a transmission data rate of up to 6 Gbps over a 0.5-m link distance. This achievement is enabled by system-level characterization and optimization of transmitter and receiver power level and frequency response and assisted with advanced modulation and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. This work pushes the QCL-based FSO technology one step closer to practical terrestrial applications, such as the fixed wireless access and the wireless mobile backhaul. Such a QCL-based solution offers a promising way towards the futuristic all-spectra wireless communication paradigm by potentially supporting the whole spectrum from the MIR to the terahertz (THz). 

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Telekommunikation (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Telecommunications (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Free-space communication

mid-infrared photonics

quantum cascade laser

Data transfer

Digital signal processing

Energy utilization

Frequency response

Modulation

Optical communication

Optical signal processing

Optical transceivers

Quantum cascade lasers

Communication paradigm

Direct modulation

Free-space optical

Free-space transmission

Laser-based

Midinfrared

Modulation spaces

Multilevels

Spectra's

Wireless communications

Bandwidth

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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