320 Gb/s Unamplified Transmission Using 100 GHz Ge PD and TFLN MZM on a Foundry-Compatible SiPh Platform Co-Packaged With Traveling-Wave Drivers and TIAs

Abstract

We demonstrate a 2 km O-band optical link achieving a gross data rate of 320 Gb/s without optical amplification, leveraging a fully foundry-compatible silicon photonics platform enhanced by heterogeneous integration. The transmitter employs a transfer-printed thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) Mach–Zehnder modulator driven by a custom-designed traveling-wave driver, while the receiver integrates a 100 GHz germanium photodiode and a traveling-wave transimpedance amplifier (TIA). Both electronic ICs are implemented in a 55 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology, ensuring high bandwidth and linearity. The link supports PAM-4 signaling up to 144 GBd with a BER below the KP4 FEC threshold and 160 GBd with a BER below the 6.7% HD-FEC threshold. This co-design approach shows the potential of transfer-printing-enabled silicon photonics platforms for next-generation 400 Gb/s per lane IM/DD transceivers.