Automatic Real-Time Configuration of a 15-Channel Free-Space Optical Receiver with a Fully Integrated CMOS Controller

We present a fully integrated CMOS electronic control system for automatic configuration of integrated free-space optical receivers fabricated on a Silicon Photonics platform. The electronic chip consists of 8 identical and independent channels, dissipating roughly 10 mW each. By connecting via direct wire-bonding two chips to the photonic integrated circuit, our closed-loop architecture succeeded in automatically configuring, starting from a random working point, a mesh of 15 interferometers in less than 10 ms. The chips also compensate in real-time atmospheric turbulence with a bandwidth up to 300 Hz, providing a scalable solution for enabling reliable free-space optical communications.