NTT Innovative Photonic Network Center

The Innovative Photonic Network Center (IPC) aims to establish the following four base technologies toward a scalable petabit-class optical network that can accommodate future increases in traffic driven by the expansion of cloud services and spread of smartphones.

• Large-scale digital signal processing technology for optical communications
• Wideband optical/electrical convergence and integration technology
• Extremely-low-noise optical amplification technology for improving S/N
• Space-division-multiplexing optical transmission technology

Large-scale digital signal processing technology and wideband optical/electrical convergence technology for optical communications

We are breaking ground in the new field of high-speed optical signal channel transmission technology that has been difficult to develop only with CMOS technology. Our aim is to achieve highly-dense integration of high-speed devices such as 100-GHz-class bandwidth doublers, modulator driver circuits and an optical modulator to simplify the development of high-frequency packages, and to maximize the performance of the optical front-end module using digital signal processing. By converging digital signal processing technology and optical front-end circuit technology, we aim to achieve long-haul transmission of high-speed optical signals with a channel speed of over 1-Tbps per wavelength.

Extremely-low-noise optical amplification technology for improving S/N

We aim to reduce noise and waveform distortion in optical transmission systems and dramatically improve the performance and power consumption of the systems. To this end, we will combine ultra-wide-band photonic pre-signal-processing technology such as coherent optical amplification and wavelength conversion technology based on the optical parametric amplification with erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) technology and digital signal processing.

Space-division-multiplexing optical transmission technology

As an area of particular importance, we are studying space-division-multiplexing transmission technology for overcoming existing transmission capacity limitations in single-mode optical fiber (saturation of spectrum efficiency due to the nonlinear Shannon limit and limits to optical input power caused by the fiber fuse phenomenon) and to achieve long-distance transmission of 1,000 km or greater with link capacity beyond one petabit per second (Pbps).