224-Gbps single-photodiode PAM-4 transmission with extended transmitter bandwidth based on optical time-and-polarization interleaving

We have proposed and demonstrated the optical time-and-polarization interleaving (OTPI) technique, which can effectively extend the transmitter bandwidth for an intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD) optical system. The 224-Gbit/s line-rate OTPI-PAM-4 signal is successfully transmitted over a 500-m standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) in the C band, using the transmitter with a bandwidth of 25 GHz and the receiver with a single photodiode. By using a 33%-return-to-zero (RZ) pulse train, a bit-error ratio (BER) below 7% hard-decision forward error correction (HD-FEC) threshold is achieved. BER below 20% soft-decision forward error correction (SD-FEC) threshold is also realized using a carrier suppressed return-to-zero (CSRZ) pulse train. The OTPI technique can also be used for more higher-order pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) formats, making it a promising technique for next-generation high-speed optical interconnects.