Electronic and Photonic Communiqué Bottlenecks Mandate Ultrafast Optics
N. Khan, N. Abas and A. R. Kalair
Communication bandwidth has become limited to 40GHz due to electronic switching speed limitation. Available devices operate at 40GHz and beyond are just prototype models. Even the 40-50GHz switching devices are under constant investigation. Nanotechnology has failed to cope with ever increasing electronic switching speed demands. Probably we require picotechnology now and femtotechnology in next few years to accelerate the switching speed limits to THz regime through novel photonic or light switches yet to be explored. Optical fibres offer greater than 25THz bandwidth that can not be utilized due to slow switching technologies. Data communication rate was increased to a few THz level through OTDM/DWDM techniques but EDFA noise, bandwidth-distance product and Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) limitations do not allow to further increase multiple laser wavelengths carriers multiplexing without proportional increase in electronic switching speeds. This paper reviews basics of the electronic and optical communication limitations and proposes thin film integrated optics based photonic strategies to overcome the impounding bottlenecks.
Keywords: electronic devices, photonic devices, optoelectronics, electronic bottlenecks