Knowledge Transfer for Optical Communications

Short Name: KTOC, Project Number: 20SIP05
Image showing server racks in a data centre
Server racks with telecommunication equipment in server room

Promoting the metrology required for the adoption of next generation optical networks.


The global market for telecom infrastructure equipment has been forcasted to reach $504.56 billion by 2023. The introduction of such things as 5G fibre-optic connectivity requires the development of next generation optical equipment for deployment in data centres, banking, and the semiconductor industry.Transceiver vendors are expanding manufacturing capacity to keep match demands for 200 Gbit/s modules and faster.

To meet increasingly stringent component specifications requires the adoption of improved international standards underpinned by robust measurement methods. The key outputs of EMRP project Morse were a traceable 'Error Vector Magnitude' metrological tool and the establishment of traceability for measurements for high-speed optical communication systems and connectivity calibration at 200 Gbit/s in a single optical channel using coherent technology. However, these research findings need to more widely adopted to accelerate industrial uptake.

 

This project disseminated the outcomes of the EMRP project via membership and interactions with IEC TC86 SC86B, the standardisation body responsible for revising IEC 62496-4-1:2019. It has also promoted and improved adoption of a traceable Error Vector Magnitude metrological tool developed though scientific papers and posters at European conferences. This will aid the photonic sector in the implementation of duplex connectors optimised for 400 Gbit/s data centre operation.

 

This work will help the communications industry, photonic component manufacturers and large-scale data centres upgrade to greater transmission speeds and improved bandwidth optimisation, required to meet the exponential growth in data rates for the next generation of optical networks.

 

Publications
Metrology of Optical Communication Systems Using Error Vector Magnitude
2021

Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics

Participating EURAMET NMIs and DIs
NPL (United Kingdom)
Other Participants
Resolute Photonics UK Ltd (United Kingdom)
SENKO Advanced Components (Euro) Limited (United Kingdom)