eStrategies, British Publishers, June 2008
Photonic Components for Future Wireless Systems
IPHOBAC‘s innovative Microwave Photonic technology is connecting the photonic and the wireless worlds. By integrating the best out of these two technologies, we enable broadband connectivity in communications, radar and instrumentation, says Andreas Stöhr, coordinator of the IPHOBAC project.
Today, the operational frequency range of several potential applications including fixed wireless services such as broadband wireless access, short range nomadic services, indoor communication, radar and security as well as instrumentation applications is already in, or is expected to be extended within the next 5-10 years to the millimetre-wave region (>30GHz).
Millimetre-wave Photonic (mmWP) technology is seen as a disruptive technology for many of those high frequency application areas such as communication, instrumentation or radar/ security. Here, mmWP technologies can offer absolutely unique performances such as ultra-wide tunability, extremely low phase noise or oscillator remoting. In addition, mmWP technologies would offer inherent features that can not easily be achieved with other competing technologies,
i.e. all-electronic solutions.
IPHOBAC, a three years European integrated project, is developing such innovative photonic components and systems for mm-wave applications in the fields of communications, instrumentation and security.
 The IPHOBAC‘s innovative approaches will form the basis for a new class of advanced and very compact photonic solutions for highly stable and low noise fixed-frequency mm-wave sources as well as for ultra-wide tuneable millimetre-wave sources (30-300GHz). IPHOBAC also develops individual photonic components such as 110GHz modulators, 110GHz photodetectors, and 60GHz transceivers for full duplex wireless communications.
IPHOBAC integrates a chain of well experienced competent partners with a complementary portfolio: From academic research over national research institutes to industrial R&D, from public technology centres over commercial component manufacturers to end-users. Altogether the IPHOBAC consortium comprises of 11 partners with the five industrial partners Alcatel-Thales III-V Lab, Centre for Integrated Photonics Ltd, CIP, U2T Photonics AG, Thales and France Telecom and the six academic partners CNRS-Lille, University Politécnica de Valencia, University College London, University of Duisburg-Essen, University of Ljubljana and the Kista Photonics Research Center (KPRC).
Photonic technologies are already supporting present wireless communication systems. It does not take much time for a voice in a mobile phone to become photons enabling low-loss and record-speed transmission. It is always surprising to see how little this fact is known among the public and even among technicians and scientists. Our project wants to demonstrate that photonic technology can do much more than just transporting information with high fidelity and can be used to support next generation wireless systems. IPHOBAC is looking forward and our conviction is that the exploitation of these new technologies will occur sooner than expected by many. Except the usual dissemination activities, such as publications, invited talks, training, organisation of workshops and exhibitions, IPHOBAC is undertaking two original actions targeting potential users of our photonic technologies. We organise meetings with large companies providing infrastructure equipment, e.g. wireless systems, and we are investigating the industrial needs for photonic components enabling future millimetre-wave applications. “An increased awareness among developers of future wireless systems of the performances and costeffectiveness of integrated photonic components is a key objective of our project” says Pierre-Yves Fonjallaz, director of KPRC in Sweden.
Objectives
The focus of this project is the use of microwave photonic techniques, which merge radio wave and photonics technologies, to develop integrated photonic functions operating in the millimetre-wave frequency range (30 – 300 GHz) for applications in telecommunication systems, security and instrumentation fields.
 The main objectives of this proposal are summarised as follows:
- To develop advanced photonic sources based on quantum dot mode-locked DBR (with integrated modulator section) and dual-mode DFB/DBR laser structures for the generation of millimeter-wave signals
- To develop ultra-wideband high power photomixers based on UTC and TW photodiodes for integration with antennas
- To develop ultra-wideband electroabsorption transceivers based on a travelling-wave approach
- To develop a very compact and low power requirement, tuneable optical mm-wave source with integrated antenna, to be used up to 300 GHz and beyond
- To develop an integrated optical phase locked loop to achieve high purity mmwaves signals, associated with the mmwave photonic source
- To implement photonic vector modulator and demodulator schemes employing the components developed in IPHOBAC and demonstrate the wireless transmission of a 10 Gbit/s signal in a laboratory environment
Significant Advances....
... in Photonic Component Technology:
Altogether seven photonic components are developed in IPHOBAC, all with challenging advanced features. Among them are broadband 110GHz modulators with integrated lasers, 110GHz photodetectors,30-300GHzphotodetectors with integrated antennas and modelocked lasers for 55GHz, 60GHz and 78GHz. The chip development is a challenge in itself. However, their integration in a suitable package or the package development itself is a further one, not to mention the efforts required for ensuring compatibility between the technological developments from different European partners. As an example, the four partners U2T, CIP, UDE and UCL are involved in the photodetector development. One major achievement here is the development of packaged 110GHz photodetectors, components that are not available from other sources in the US or Japan to our knowledge. The 110GHz photodetector development in IPHOBAC is of strategic importance for the project and also for U2T Photonics AG as a company since we do see increasing demands in the addressed market segments telecom, radar/security and instrumentation/ measurement says Andreas Umbach, CEO of U2T Photonics AG.
… in Photonic Integration Technologies:
Photonic devices are being developed in the IPHOBAC project to increase the functionality and improve the performance of mm-wave systems. To enable some of these systems and to make the transition from laboratory demonstrators to widespread commercial deployments, there are generally challenges involved such as reducing the cost, size or power consumption. With this in mind, CIP and other project partners are developing miniaturised mm-wave systems by adapting their proven hybrid integration technology to incorporate new mm-wave photonic devices. The approach involves passively aligning InP chips comprising one or more photonic devices to silica optical waveguides on a silicon motherboard. CIP’s CTO David Smith said “Besides helping CIP further develop its hybrid integration technology, IPHOBAC is allowing CIP to gain awareness of emerging mm-wave applications”.
… In Photonic Wireless Systems:
The world leading microwave photonic components developed in IPHOBAC have enabled us to realise broadband wireless systems with very unique features for access and for home area networks. As an example, IPHOBAC partner University of Duisburg-Essen, France Telecom and Universidad Politécnica de Valencia demonstrated a wireless system operating at 60GHz mm-wave frequency that can deliver data rates of up to 12.5Gb/s. Such data rates allow the wireless transmission of several uncompressed HDTV channels at full high definition resolution. That way, we are taking 10Gb/s everywhere from vision to reality, says Andreas Stöhr, IPHOBAC Project Coordinator from University Duisburg-Essen. Also for the private customer at home IPHOBAC has some new developments: project partner France Telecom for example demonstrated new systems that will eventually offer private users wireless access at their homes with data rates exceeding 1Gb/s about 10-100 times more than what is currently available from network operators. ★
Source: http://bpl.uk.com/e-strategies
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