A Tb/s Indoor MIMO Optical Wireless Backhaul System Using VCSEL Arrays

Abstract

In this paper, the design of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) optical wireless communication (OWC) link based on vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays is systematically carried out with the aim to support data rates in excess of 1 Tb/s for the backhaul of sixth generation (6G) indoor wireless networks. The proposed design combines direct current optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DCO-OFDM) and a spatial multiplexing MIMO architecture. For such an ultra-high-speed line-of-sight (LOS) OWC link with low divergence laser beams, maintaining alignment is of high importance. In this paper, two types of misalignment error between the transmitter and receiver are distinguished, namely, radial displacement error and orientation angle error, and they are thoroughly modeled in a unified analytical framework assuming Gaussian laser beams, resulting in a generalized misalignment model (GMM). The derived GMM is then extended to MIMO arrays and the performance of the MIMO-OFDM OWC system is analyzed in terms of the aggregate data rate. Novel insights are provided into the system performance based on computer simulations by studying various influential factors such as beam waist, array configuration and different misalignment errors, which can be used as guidelines for designing short range Tb/s MIMO OWC systems.

On the Road to 6G: Visions, Requirements, Key Technologies, and Testbeds

“…There is a growing interest in OCC because of its applications in V2X communications, indoor positioning, digital signage and VR. FSO communication systems are used for high-data-rate communication in data centers, deep space communication and underwater systems [355], [356]. LiDAR serves as an engaging optical remote sensing technology, and it has great potential to be used for transportation, airborne as well as autonomous vehicular communication.…”

Optical Mobile Communications: Architecture and Enabling Technologies

“…This makes their stochastic model different. Despite of all the differences, it is still valid to exploit the intensity distribution of the Gaussian beams in FSO channels [4], and the relation between received power and the incident light direction in VLC channels [15].…”

“…Infrared communication systems are not designed to support illumination so that they can use laser diodes (LDs) as sources to obtain higher speed and narrower beams [3]. Recent studies have reported, with both analyses and experiments, the great potential of applying LD arrays to achieve enormous channel capacity [3], [4]. However, existing studies on indoor infrared communications mainly focused on fixed transceivers and rarely considered the practical issues including mobility and blocking.…”

Non-imaging receiver design for terabit laser-based optical wireless communication in 6G data center networks

“…It has been shown that this system enables multi-Tb/s aggregate transmission rates over a few meters link by using a 5 × 5 VCSEL array. 10 For each VCSEL, a minimal clipping distortion can be ensured by choosing proper values for the DC bias and the variance of the OFDM signal.…”