A research team, spearheaded by Chen Siming from the Institute of Semiconductors at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and in collaboration with several other institutions, has made a significant breakthrough. They have successfully developed a 100GHz quantum dot optical frequency comb laser. This laser is remarkable for its ability to operate stably even under extreme temperatures, reaching up to 140°C. At room temperature, the laser boasts an impressive 3dB optical bandwidth of 14.312nm, generating 26 parallel channels simultaneously. Each of these channels is capable of supporting a PAM-4 modulated signal at a blistering speed of 128Gb/s, culminating in a total single-chip transmission capacity of an astounding 3.312Tb/s.

Furthermore, even under the rigorous conditions of industrial-grade high temperatures, specifically 85°C, the laser's key performance indicators remain virtually unaffected. It continues to stably output 22 channels, supporting a data transmission rate of 2.816Tb/s. Accelerated aging tests, spanning over 1,500 hours, have projected an average mean time between failures (MTBF) of 207 years for this device. This represents a staggering two-order-of-magnitude improvement when compared to traditional optical frequency comb technologies.

The laser's design is particularly noteworthy for its single-chip integration. This innovative approach reduces the system volume by a remarkable 90% compared to conventional systems. Such a compact design allows for direct embedding into optical modules used in data center switches and AI computing clusters. Consequently, it provides a crucial light source solution for Tbps-scale optical interconnects, paving the way for faster and more efficient data transmission in the future.