Wideband SiN pulse interleaver for optically-enabled analog-to-digital conversion: a device-to-system analysis with cyclic equalization.

We present the design and experimental characterization of a silicon nitride pulse interleaver based on coupled resonator optical waveguide filters. In order to achieve a targeted free spectral range of 1.44 THz, which is large given the reduced optical confinement of the silicon nitride platform, individual ring resonators are designed with tapered waveguides.

Fundamental limitations of spectrally-sliced optically enabled data converters arising from MLL timing jitter.

The effect of phase noise introduced by optical sources in spectrally-sliced optically enabled DACs and ADCs is modeled and analyzed in detail. In both data converter architectures, a mode-locked laser is assumed to provide an optical comb whose lines are used to either synthesize or analyze individual spectral slices. While the optical phase noise of the central MLL line as well as of other optical carriers used in the analyzed system architectures have a minor impact on the system performance, the RF phase noise of the MLL fundamentally limits it.