UNICO is a consortium of three global leading comb-laser experts working together to develop the ideal technology platform for compact, high-throughput WDM solutions required to meet the growing needs of the data communications industry. By 2028, it is expected that overall datacom capacity will reach 100,000 Petabit/s, corresponding to 1 billion 100-Gbps equivalent SerDes shipments*, and several hundred million O-band CW laser wavelength lines (25/50/100 Gbaud PAM4/PAM8). Currently, two compact comb-laser technologies stand out as promising platforms for datacom light sources: InAs/GaAs quantum-dot based comb lasers and microresonator-based Kerr combs. 

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          The project, facilitated by the fundamental complementarity of both technologies, will strive towards covering the full range of WDM spacings (ultra-dense to coarse) and addressing key challenges of the datacenter market - power efficiency, harsh operating environment (85°C) and scalability. The competitive advantage is based on current world-leading technologies of QD comb lasers and microcombs being commercialized by the partners, the results of the originating H2020 CALADAN and PHOENICS projects, as well as the novel features, such as chirped-DBR comb laser, comb SOA and evanescent coupling to SiP. The goals of the project: (1) to develop a novel design and technological process of CW comb laser PIC fabrication with enhanced mode stability and ultra-low noise; (2) to develop two comb prototypes operating in O-band and covering spacing range from UDWDM to CWDM.

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      The consortium consists of Innolume (world market leader in InAs/GaAs QD), Dublin City University (high-speed communications), and Enlightra (associated partner, startup established in 2021, world’s first commercial optical comb with large frequency spacing 100-1000 GHz). This consortium combines scientific expertise with experience in translating ideas into products and scaling them.

 

* Dell’Oro “Long Term Ethernet Switch Forecast” Jan 2023