Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnect

Abstract The escalating demands of compute-intensive applications urgently necessitate the adoption of optical interconnect technologies to overcome bottlenecks in scaling computing systems. This requires fully exploiting the inherent parallelism of light across scalable dimensions for data loading....

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Main Authors: Aolong Sun, Sizhe Xing, Xuyu Deng, Ruoyu Shen, An Yan, Fangchen Hu, Yuqin Yuan, Boyu Dong, Junhao Zhao, Ouhan Huang, Ziwei Li, Jianyang Shi, Yingjun Zhou, Chao Shen, Yiheng Zhao, Bingzhou Hong, Wei Chu, Junwen Zhang, Haiwen Cai, Nan Chi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57689-7
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author Aolong Sun
Sizhe Xing
Xuyu Deng
Ruoyu Shen
An Yan
Fangchen Hu
Yuqin Yuan
Boyu Dong
Junhao Zhao
Ouhan Huang
Ziwei Li
Jianyang Shi
Yingjun Zhou
Chao Shen
Yiheng Zhao
Bingzhou Hong
Wei Chu
Junwen Zhang
Haiwen Cai
Nan Chi
author_facet Aolong Sun
Sizhe Xing
Xuyu Deng
Ruoyu Shen
An Yan
Fangchen Hu
Yuqin Yuan
Boyu Dong
Junhao Zhao
Ouhan Huang
Ziwei Li
Jianyang Shi
Yingjun Zhou
Chao Shen
Yiheng Zhao
Bingzhou Hong
Wei Chu
Junwen Zhang
Haiwen Cai
Nan Chi
author_sort Aolong Sun
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The escalating demands of compute-intensive applications urgently necessitate the adoption of optical interconnect technologies to overcome bottlenecks in scaling computing systems. This requires fully exploiting the inherent parallelism of light across scalable dimensions for data loading. Here we experimentally demonstrate a synergy of wavelength- and mode- multiplexing combined with high-order modulation formats to achieve multi-tens-of-terabits-per-second optical interconnects using foundry-compatible silicon photonic circuits. Implementing an edge-guided analog-and-digital optimization method that integrates high efficiency with fabrication robustness, we achieve the inverse design of mode multiplexers based on digital metamaterial waveguides. Furthermore, we employ a packaged five-mode multiplexing chip, achieving a single-wavelength interconnect capacity of 1.62 Tbit s− 1 and a record-setting multi-dimensional interconnect capacity of 38.2 Tbit s− 1 across 5 modes and 88 wavelength channels, with high-order formats up to 8-ary pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM). This study highlights the transformative potential of optical interconnect technologies to surmount the constraints of electronic links, thus setting the stage for next-generation datacenter and optical compute interconnects.
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spelling doaj-art-36d3e0a056ab4e4f90c59729df10ffcd2025-08-20T03:02:21ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-03-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-57689-7Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnectAolong Sun0Sizhe Xing1Xuyu Deng2Ruoyu Shen3An Yan4Fangchen Hu5Yuqin Yuan6Boyu Dong7Junhao Zhao8Ouhan Huang9Ziwei Li10Jianyang Shi11Yingjun Zhou12Chao Shen13Yiheng Zhao14Bingzhou Hong15Wei Chu16Junwen Zhang17Haiwen Cai18Nan Chi19School of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversityZhangjiang LaboratorySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversitySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversityZhangjiang LaboratoryZhangjiang LaboratoryZhangjiang LaboratorySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversityZhangjiang LaboratorySchool of Information Science and Technology, Fudan UniversityAbstract The escalating demands of compute-intensive applications urgently necessitate the adoption of optical interconnect technologies to overcome bottlenecks in scaling computing systems. This requires fully exploiting the inherent parallelism of light across scalable dimensions for data loading. Here we experimentally demonstrate a synergy of wavelength- and mode- multiplexing combined with high-order modulation formats to achieve multi-tens-of-terabits-per-second optical interconnects using foundry-compatible silicon photonic circuits. Implementing an edge-guided analog-and-digital optimization method that integrates high efficiency with fabrication robustness, we achieve the inverse design of mode multiplexers based on digital metamaterial waveguides. Furthermore, we employ a packaged five-mode multiplexing chip, achieving a single-wavelength interconnect capacity of 1.62 Tbit s− 1 and a record-setting multi-dimensional interconnect capacity of 38.2 Tbit s− 1 across 5 modes and 88 wavelength channels, with high-order formats up to 8-ary pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM). This study highlights the transformative potential of optical interconnect technologies to surmount the constraints of electronic links, thus setting the stage for next-generation datacenter and optical compute interconnects.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57689-7
spellingShingle Aolong Sun
Sizhe Xing
Xuyu Deng
Ruoyu Shen
An Yan
Fangchen Hu
Yuqin Yuan
Boyu Dong
Junhao Zhao
Ouhan Huang
Ziwei Li
Jianyang Shi
Yingjun Zhou
Chao Shen
Yiheng Zhao
Bingzhou Hong
Wei Chu
Junwen Zhang
Haiwen Cai
Nan Chi
Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnect
Nature Communications
title Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnect
title_full Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnect
title_fullStr Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnect
title_full_unstemmed Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnect
title_short Edge-guided inverse design of digital metamaterial-based mode multiplexers for high-capacity multi-dimensional optical interconnect
title_sort edge guided inverse design of digital metamaterial based mode multiplexers for high capacity multi dimensional optical interconnect
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57689-7
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