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1.Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
2.Hubei Optical Fundamental Research Center, Wuhan, Hubei, China
3.Optics Valley Laboratory, Hubei, Wuhan, Hubei, China
4.State Key Laboratory for Modern Optical Instrumentation, Center for Optical & Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, China
Jian Wang (jwang@hust.edu.cn)
Received:19 September 2025,
Revised:2025-12-12,
Accepted:12 January 2026,
Online First:12 March 2026,
Published:31 May 2026
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Li, K. et al. Harnessing diverse hybrid integration for bridging trans-scale multi-dimensional fiber-chip data transmission and processing. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1451-1463 (2026).
Li, K. et al. Harnessing diverse hybrid integration for bridging trans-scale multi-dimensional fiber-chip data transmission and processing. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1451-1463 (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41377-026-02194-9.
Optical communications have emerged as a promising solution for high-speed modern communication systems and built an important infrastructure for the global information superhighway. Although recent efforts to enhance optical communications have penetrated from long-distance fiber-optic to ultra-short-reach chip-scale data transmission
“Trans-Scale” high-capacity data transmission remains great challenges. In addition to data transmission
data processing is also of great importance for flexible data management in optical communication systems. However
a “Digital Divide” (capacity gap) exists between high-capacity data transmission in fiber links and low-speed data processing at network nodes
hindering the flourishing development of optical communications. Here
we implement “Trans-Scale” high-capacity bridging between few-mode fiber and silicon multimode waveguide using a diverse hybrid integrated coupler
which includes a 3D silica fs-laser direct writing photonic chip and a 2D silicon photonic integrated circuit. On this basis
we leverage a large-scale silicon reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) with over 2000 elements to construct a multi-dimensional fiber-chip system
enabling 192-channel (3 modes
2 polarizations
32 wavelengths) and 20-Tbit/s trans-scale multi-dimensional data transmission and processing. This demonstration provides a superior trans-scale architecture for multi-dimensional data transmission and processing in next-generation optical communications.
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