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The Road to 600G: 64 Gbaud/64 QAM

Combining higher-order modulation with high-speed electronics opens the way to 600
Gb/s.
The surge in streaming video has triggered a matching demand for more bandwidth.
Simply adding more fiber isn’t the answer. Particularly in the space-constrained data
networking area, clients want the greatest possible bandwidth in the smallest possible
space. Just increasing raw transmission speed (baud rate) is not enough. The best way
to raise bit rate is by boosting baud rate, then sending more bits per baud by using
higher-order modulation schemes. This has led to interest in a modulation scheme
known as quadrature-amplitude modulation (QAM), particularly a high-performance
version known as 64 QAM.
With this technology, a transceiver with a 64 Gbaud raw symbol rate could transmit at
600 Gb/s down a single fiber. In comparison, the current best modulation technology
use at that speed could only send 250 Gb/s. This has led to great interest in so-called
64 Gbaud/64 QAM transceivers.
Modulation 101
To understand how these 64 Gbaud/64 QAM systems work, we need a quick tutorial on
modulation. The simplest form of modulation is intensity modulation or amplitude-shift
keying (ASK). It’s basically a function of how quickly the optical carrier signal from the
laser can be switched from a high intensity state (logical 1) to a low-intensity state
(logical 0).
ASK is classed as a direct-detection method because it only needs a photodiode to
detect changes in intensity. It is a useful technology but loss mechanisms like chromatic
dispersion in fiber limit its use to 10 Gb/s networks over reaches of 40 km or less. That
led to the introduction of coherent optical transmission in the form of a technique known
as phase-shift keying (PSK).
PSK involves keeping the amplitude constant and encoding information by changes in
the phase of the optical signal. These are considered coherent systems, which means
that they require coherent receivers capable of monitoring the phase state of the
received signal. Multiple versions of PSK exist but the most common is binary PSK
(BPSK). In this scheme, the amplitude is +V when the phase is zero and -V when the
phase is π (180°).
Both ASK and PSK send two symbols per on-off cycle, with each symbol corresponding
to one bit. To increase bit rate, the industry turned to a class of higher-order modulation
schemes known as coherent IQ modulation.
Coherent IQ Modulation
In coherent IQ modulation, both the amplitude and phase/can be changed. This
provides a way to both increase the number of symbols and the number of bits per
symbol. The most popular type of coherent IQ modulation is quadrature PSK (QPSK). In
this version, the transmitter features a two-stage Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) that
modulates the input from a continuous-wave laser. The MZM splits the signal and then
introduces a phase delay in one portion so that it is π/2 (90°) out of phase (in
quadrature) with the other. The amplitude is ±V.
Now, one wave hits +V at zero and -V at π (normal wave), while the other hits +V at π/2
and -V at 3π/2 (270°; quadrature wave). This enables a QPSK system to transmit two
bits for each symbol, effectively doubling the bit rate of the system.
QPSK can be pushed one step further by applying polarization multiplexing. Light can
be linearly polarized in one of two orthogonal polarization states, which are vertical or
horizontal. By adding a polarization rotator and polarization beam combiner to our super
Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the input can be split into normal and quadrature waves,
then either vertically polarized or horizontally polarized.
These dual polarization states can be recombined at the output, adding two more bits of
data transmission per symbol for a total of four bits per symbol. This effectively
quadruples our bandwidth. It is the mechanism that enables a network with 25 Gb/s
fundamental modulation to deliver 100 Gb/s transmission.
Although DP-QPSK has become the workhorse modulation format, the companies are
already looking for more bandwidth. Quadrature amplitude modulation provides a
technology to give it to them.
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)
In order to transmit more bits per symbol, we have to modulate both phase and
amplitude, in a technique known as QAM. In QAM, the modulator creates the normal
wave and the quadrature wave. Now, however, instead of using a single amplitude of
±V, it generates n different amplitudes. As a result, it can transmit n bits per symbol.
The standard notation is 2n QAM. A 24 QAM, or 16 QAM system, can send four bits per
symbol, for example.
With the right MZM and drive electronics, QAM can be extended to higher-order
modulation⎯64 QAM, for example, sends six. Now we have come full circle to the
mechanism that enables us to achieve 600 Gb/s transmission.
The math to determine bit rate is fairly simple:
Bit rate = baud rate (symbols/sec) X coding (bits/symbol) X polarization (typically
two).
As the table shows, the additional bits from 64QAM provide significant speed increases.
64 QAM also presents a significant challenge. The higher the order of modulation, the
lower the signal-to-noise ratio (see figure). 64 QAM requires a modulator and drive
electronics capable of producing eight discrete levels of amplitude modulation and eight
distinct phase modulations. They not only have to be capable of this performance in
theory but the results have to be distinct enough to be detected as individual elements
of the signal.

Figure 1: Constellation diagrams for DP-QPSK (left), 16 QAM (center), and 64 QAM
(right) show that the individual elements of the signal become increasingly difficult to
detect at higher speeds.
In general, long transmission distance degrades signal quality. Of course, modulation is
not the only concern in these systems. They also require high-speed receivers and DSP
to decode the signal once it has reached its destination.
As increasing use of video sends bandwidth demand skyrocketing, end-users and
service providers look to higher bandwidth. The latest generation of 64 Gbaud/64 QAM
transceivers offer a clear path to 600 Gb/s. This holds out the prospect of achieving
terabit-per-second transmission from a single line card in the immediate future.