Center for Integrated Access Networks

The research of the CIAN Engineering Research Center will advance upon three major thrusts wherein interoperability of components will be proven via state-of-the-art testbeds, which will provide for cross-collaboration among system, sub-system, and device research efforts.
THRUST 1: OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND NETWORK ARCHITECTURES
This thrust will act as the "top-down" driver for the development and integration of components and devices that will enable integrated subsystems, co-optimized to cost-effectively provide high-data rate services to the "curb" This thrust includes issues such as aggregation and access networks, cross-layer optimization, wavelength multicasting and ubiquitous monitoring. The projects in this thrust will enable and demonstrate numerous new network applications including ultra high-bandwidth data centers and immersive telepresence.
- Hybrid switching networks with
--- electronic packet switching for high-utilization of data links
--- optical circuit switching for guaranteed availability of service and ultra-high data capacity
--- application and impairment-awareness to optimize network resources and minimize power consumption—for data centers, metro networks, and inter-data center networks
- Programmable transmission and aggregation techniques utilizing software defined networking control for optical circuits and devices. Expanding the zone or radius of control for dynamic and agile networking through advanced monitoring and control methods
- Advanced modulation, coding, and aggregation schemes for increased link capacity, reduced error rates, and greater energy efficiency.
THRUST 2: SCALABLE INTEGRATION AND SUB-SYSTEMS IN SILICON NANOPHOTONICS
This thrust will explore signal conditioning, processing, reconfiguration, and control functions realized with various platforms including CMOS compatible nanostructures and silicon nanophotonics, and multifunctional integrated subsystems exploiting monolithic and heterogeneous integration.
- Manufacturable silicon photonic integrated circuits and systems on chip for high density, low-cost optical network technology.
- Agile optical networking technologies including gridless and flexible wavelength add-drop multiplexers and filters, tunable sources, and dynamic control and monitoring elements
- Space division multiplexing techniques on chip for high density, low power aggregation and switching and methods for coupling off chip to single or multimode fibers.
- New optical switching sub-systems including holographic switches and planar silicon photonic switches—focusing on higher speed and port density
THRUST 3: DEVICE PHYSICS AND FUNDAMENTALS
This thrust will act as the scientific and technological foundation by conducting research on new materials, device technologies, processing and integration methods for chip-scale integrated optoelectronics.
- Electro-optic polymers for faster, scalable, and more energy-efficient switching.
- Material and fabrication studies to realize higher performance and fully silicon chip compatible telecom wavelength lasers and detectors
- Material and device structures to address critical challenges for silicon photonics including optical isolation and athermal operation
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Silicon photonics is a major technology development in integrated optics, where the goal is to take the substantial manufacturing knowledge that exists for processing silicon for electronics and apply it to making integrated optical devices. There are many major corporations, start-up companies, and universities dedicated to realizing this vision and many products are now in the market place.
CIAN has focused its silicon photonics efforts on
1) identifying subsystems, such as optical add-drop nodes, that can be completely realized on a silicon photonic chip;
2) Realizing unique functionalities on a silicon chip, such as low insertion loss high port count optical switches and spatial mode switching;
3) Bringing new materials to the silicon photonic platform to provide improvements such as reduced thermal sensitivity as well as direct incorporation of III-V lasers
This research has essential applicability to the CIAN mission of creating the CIAN chip which will revolutionize the Internet as we know it. The CIAN chip and additional research into silicon photonics manufacturing, and specific component functionalities are all aspects of the research that will aim to create a more seamless, less expensive, and efficient Internet.
Silicon Photonics Manufacturing
Optical Switches
Spatial-Mode Switching
Athermal Optical Add-drop Multiplexers
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Software Defined Networking Photonics
SDN is rapidly finding application in optical systems. Unlike other data networking platforms, however, optical systems are not programmable today. They involve complex engineering rules often compared to the design complexity of ‘analog’ electronics. To go along with chip-scale optical components we need ‘digital’ photonics with programmability of digital electronics. For communication systems this means realizing software defined networking photonics.
CIAN research is investigating methods of realizing programmability in optical systems at the deepest levels and focused on the latest integrated devices. This includes both hardware and software methods to simplify the control and increase the flexibility of optical systems. Photonic integrated monitoring components are used with programmable transceivers orchestrated by SDN controllers. We are building the tools to not only create new functionality, but also to prototype and test it.