Waveguide-Integrated Graphene-Plasmonic Photodetectors for Single- and Multichannel High-Speed Data Transmission
Daniel Rieben, Stefan M. Koepfli, Dominik Bisang, Tobias Blatter, Laurenz Kulmer, Chenrui Xu, Lewin Bormann, Shadi Nashashibi, Marina Homs, Michael Baumann, David Moor, Yuriy Fedoryshyn, Juerg LeutholdAbstract
High-speed, integrated photodetectors are crucial for addressing the bandwidth bottlenecks in next-generation data centers and high-performance computing. While graphene offers exceptional intrinsic speed and broadband absorption, realizing its potential in scalable, high-responsivity integrated devices has proven challenging. Here, we demonstrate a waveguide-integrated plasmonic graphene photodetector architecture capable of operating in high-capacity data links. By utilizing plasmonic resonators to enhance light-matter interaction and facilitate photocarrier extraction, the device exhibits a 3 dB bandwidth of 155 GHz and a responsivity exceeding 200 mA/W in the L-band under bias. We validated the device’s capabilities for high-speed data communications through direct detection of intensity-modulated signals, achieving a single-lane line rate of 192 Gbit/s. To further illustrate the platform’s scalability, we cointegrated eight such photodetectors with a low-crosstalk silicon photonic 1 × 8 arrayed waveguide grating to form a wavelength-division multiplexing receiver. This integrated system yielded an aggregated line rate of 816 Gbit/s. These results, representing the fastest waveguide-coupled plasmonic graphene photodetectors reported to date, pave the way for a new generation of dense, high-capacity optical interconnects essential for future high-performance computing and AI infrastructure.