2017/09/22
Keio University
Pioneer Micro Technology Corporation
Koshin Kogaku Co., Ltd.
Optoquest Co., Ltd.
Professor Hiroyuki Tsuda and Associate Professor Ryogo Kubo of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University, in collaboration with Pioneer Micro Technology Corporation, Koshin Kogaku Co., Ltd., and Optoquest Co., Ltd., have succeeded in the world's first demonstration of ultra-high-definition (4K) video transmission using the new T-band telecommunication wavelength.
The T-band in optical communications refers to the 1000–1260 nm wavelength band. Compared to the C-band (1530–1565 nm) and L-band (1565–1625 nm) primarily used in optical fiber transmission, it has greater transmission loss, making long-distance transmission difficult. For this reason, it has not been used for optical communication applications until now. However, with the recent spread of cloud computing and ultra-high-definition video services, the demand for medium- and short-distance optical communication technologies of several tens of kilometers or less, such as in data center networks and access networks, is rapidly increasing. Consequently, there are high expectations for the utilization of the T-band, which can secure over 1,000 wavelength channels at 50 GHz spacing. In this research, we developed optical components for the T-band, including a quantum dot gain chip, a tunable light source, a semiconductor optical amplifier, and an arrayed waveguide grating, and used them to build a wavelength routing system. We also conducted a 4K video transmission demonstration on the constructed wavelength routing system. By effectively utilizing the vast 80 THz wavelength resources of the T-band and the adjacent O-band (1260–1360 nm), this technology is expected to significantly contribute to expanding transmission capacity, improving scalability, and promoting the introduction of new services in medium- and short-distance optical networks.
The results of this research were presented at the 43rd European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2017), an international conference held in Gothenburg, Sweden, on September 21, 2017 (local time).
For the full press release, please see below.