Increasing bandwidth requirements have posed significant challenges for traditional access networks. It is difficult for intensity modulation/direct detection to meet the power budget and flexibility requirements of the next-generation passive optical network (PON) at 100G and beyond considering the new requirements. This is driving researchers to develop novel optical access technologies. Low-cost, wide-coverage, and high-flexibility coherent PON is emerging as a strong contender in the competition. In this article, we will review technologies that reduce the complexity of coherent PON (CPON), enabling it to meet the commercial requirements. Also, advanced algorithms and architectures that can enhance system coverage and flexibility are also discussed.

This paper experimentally demonstrates a distributed photonics-based W-band integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) system, in which radar sensing can aid the communication links in alignment and data rate estimation. As a proof-of-concept, the ISAC system locates the users, guides the alignment, and sets a communication link with the estimated highest data rate. A peak net data rate of 68.6 Gbit/s and a target sensing with a less-than-1-cm error and a sub-2-cm resolution have been tested over a 10-km fiber and a 1.15-m free space transmission in the photonics-based W-band ISAC system. The achievable net data rates of the users at different locations estimated by sensing are experimentally verified.

2021年国际电联电信标准化部门（ITU-T）完成50 Gbit/s无源光网络（PON）的标准制定，当前设备商和运营商已经完成样机验证，ITU-T成立Beyond 50 Gbit/s PON讨论组开始研讨未来PON相关技术方案，因此Beyond 50 Gbit/s PON成为当前光通信领域的研究热点。根据前几代PON标准的速率演进规律推测，Beyond 50 Gbit/s PON的速率预计将超过100 Gbit/s。文章将分析超100 Gbit/s PON面临的问题和挑战，重点介绍灵活速率PON和相干PON架构这两个潜在技术路径及其关键技术方案，为未来超100 Gbit/s PON的研究和标准制定提供参考。

In recent studies, visible light communication (VLC) has been predicted to be a prospective technique in the future 6G communication systems. To suit the trend of exponentially growing connectivity, researchers have intensively studied techniques that enable multiple access (MA) in VLC systems, such as the MIMO system based on LED devices to support potential applications in the Internet of Things (IoT) or edge computing in the next-generation access network. However, their transmission rate is limited due to the intrinsic bandwidth of LED. Unfortunately, the majority of visible light laser communication (VLLC) research with beyond 10 Gb/s data rates concentrates on point-to-point links, or using discrete photodetector (PD) devices instead of an integrated array PD. In this paper, we demonstrated an integrated PD array device fabricated with a Si-substrated GaN/InGaN multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structure, which has a 4×4 array of 50μm×50μm micro-PD units with a common cathode and anode. This single-integrated array successfully provides access for two different transmitters simultaneously in the experiment, implementing a 2×2 MIMO-VLLC link at 405 nm. The highest data rate achieved is 13.2 Gb/s, and the corresponding net data rate (NDR) achieved is 12.27 Gb/s after deducing the FEC overhead, using 2.2 GHz bandwidth and superposed PAM signals. Furthermore, we assess the Huffman-coded coding scheme, which brings a fine-grain adjustment in access capacity and enhances the overall data throughput when the user signal power varies drastically due to distance, weather, or other challenges in the channel condition. As far as we know, this is the first demonstration of multiple visible light laser source access based on a single integrated GaN/InGaN receiver module.

In this Letter, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a lens-free wavefront shaping method that utilizes synchronized signal block beam alignment and a genetic algorithm (SSBGA) for a diffuse non-line-of-sight (NLOS) visible light communication (VLC) system. The proposed method effectively controls the position and mobility of visible light beams by partitioning spatial light modulator pixels and manipulating beams to converge at distinct spatial positions, thereby enhancing wavefront shaping efficiency, which achieves a significant 23.9 dB optical power enhancement at +2mm offset, surpassing the lens-based continuous sequence (CS) scheme by 21.7 dB. At +40° angle, the improvement reaches up to 11.8 dB and 16.8 dB compared to the results with and without lens-based CS, respectively. A maximum rate of 5.16 Gbps is successfully achieved using bit-power loading discrete multi-tone (DMT) modulation and the proposed SSBGA in an NLOS VLC system, which outperforms the lens-based CS by 1.07 Gbps and obtains a power saving of 55.6% during the transmission at 4 Gbps. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that high-speed communication has been realized in an NLOS VLC system without a lens.

Although the 5G wireless network has made significant advances, it is not enough to accommodate the rapidly rising requirement for broader bandwidth in post-5G and 6G eras. As a result, emerging technologies in higher frequencies including visible light communication (VLC), are becoming a hot topic. In particular, LED-based VLC is foreseen as a key enabler for achieving data rates at the Tb/s level in indoor scenarios using multi-color LED arrays with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology. This paper proposes an optimized multi-color LED array chip for high-speed VLC systems. Its long-wavelength GaN-based LED units are remarkably enhanced by V-pit structure in their efficiency, especially in the “yellow gap” region, and it achieves significant improvement in data rate compared with earlier research. This work investigates the V-pit structure and tries to provide insight by introducing a new equivalent circuit model, which provides an explanation of the simulation and experiment results. In the final test using a laboratory communication system, the data rates of eight channels from short to long wavelength are 3.91 Gb/s, 3.77 Gb/s, 3.67 Gb/s, 4.40 Gb/s, 3.78 Gb/s, 3.18 Gb/s, 4.31 Gb/s, and 4.35 Gb/s (31.38 Gb/s in total), with advanced digital signal processing (DSP) techniques including digital equalization technique and bit-power loading discrete multitone (DMT) modulation format.

Visible light communication (VLC) has emerged as a promising communication method in 6G. However, the development of receiving devices is much slower than that of transmitting devices, limited by materials, structures, and fabrication. In this paper, we propose and fabricate an InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well-based vertical-structure micro-LED-based photodetector (μPD) on a Si substrate. A comprehensive comparison of the photoelectrical performance and communication performance of three sizes of μPDs, 10, 50, and 100 μm, is presented. The peak responsivity of all three μPDs is achieved at 400 nm, while the passband full-widths at half maxima are 87, 72, and 78 nm for 10, 50, and 100 μm μPDs, respectively. The -20dB cutoff bandwidth is up to 822 MHz for 50 μm μPD. A data rate of 10.14 Gbps is experimentally demonstrated by bit and power loading discrete multitone modulation and the proposed digital pre-equalizer algorithm over 1 m free space utilizing the self-designed 4×4 50 μm μPD array as a receiver and a 450 nm laser diode as a transmitter. This is the first time a more than 10 Gbps VLC system has been achieved utilizing a GaN-based micro-PD, to the best of our knowledge. The investigation fully demonstrates the superiority of Si substrates and vertical structures in InGaN/GaN μPDs and shows its great potential for high-speed VLC links beyond 10 Gbps.

An ultrafast microring modulator (MRM) is fabricated and presented with Vπ·L of 0.825V·cm. A 240 Gb/s PAM-8 signal transmission over 2 km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) is experimentally demonstrated. PN junction doping concentration is optimized, and the overall performance of the MRM is improved. Optical peaking is introduced to further extend the EO bandwidth from 52 to 110 GHz by detuning the input wavelength. A titanium nitride heater with 0.1 nm/mW tuning efficiency is implemented above the MRM to adjust the resonant wavelength. High bit rate modulations based on the high-performance and compact MRM are carried out. By adopting off-line signal processing in the transmitter and receiver side, 120 Gb/s NRZ, 220 Gb/s PAM-4, and 240 Gb/s PAM-8 are measured with the back-to-back bit error ratio (BER) of 5.5×10-4, 1.5×10-2, and 1.4×10-2, respectively. A BER with different received optical power and 2 km SSMF transmission is also investigated. The BER for 220 Gb/s PAM-4 and 240 Gb/s PAM-8 after 2 km SSMF transmission is calculated to be 1.7×10-2 and 1.5×10-2, which meet with the threshold of soft-decision forward-error correction, respectively.