Laser-inscribed multicore fan-out devices

Summary form only given. In recent years, the rise of always-on broadband internet access networks has fuelled a huge rise in global data bandwidth demand. The availability of video streaming services such as Youtube has pushed video into the primary data format used across global networks. Cisco has predicted that by 2014 80% of all internet traffic will be video. This is placing tremendous stress on the global communications networks, causing the communications industry to look beyond traditional methods in order to increase the available bandwidth. The fundamental limit for conventional optical fibre telecoms is within sight, the cost of squeezing out more bandwidth using traditional methods is prohibitive. Spatial Division Multiplexing (SDM) has recently emerged as a solution to extracting more bandwidth from optical fibres. As opposed to more conventional multiplexing methods such as TDM or WDM, SDM relies on encoding extra channels on spatially separable pathways. This is typically achieved by using multiple closely packed cores in a multi-core fibre, or by carefully propagating light in different low-order modes of a multimode fibre. SDM can be used n combination with conventional multiplexing to push the bandwidth capacity beyond what is possible otherwise. So far, both methods have been demonstrated to be capable of long distance communications at high speeds, however multi-core fibre has been demonstrated to achieve much higher data bandwidths. At OFC2012, researchers from NICT in Japan demonstrated a world record 400Tb/s down a single 19-core optical fibre using DWDM on each spatial channel. This is an indication of the possible performance levels enabled by Spatial Multiplexing. SDM also offers a potential cost benefit over conventional techniques, as reducing the stringent wavelength channel requirements of DWDM reduces the cost of the laser sources and associated components. Spatial multiplexors also have the potential to be significantly cheaper to m- nufacture than complex WDM devices such as Arrayed Waveguide Gratings. In this paper I´ll demonstrate that the Ultrafast Laser Inscription is an unique technology to resolve the problems associated with the SDM with novel fan-out devices.