Advanced Signalling Techniques for Optical Networks

Team  Prof. LU Chao  Prof. Alan P. T. LAU

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Research led by Prof. Lu Chao and Prof. Alan Lau has significantly advanced optical networking to meet the rapid growth in demand for high-speed, reliable data transmission vital to modern data centre infrastructures.

The team’s research into different signalling schemes has identified Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) as the optimal solution for low-cost, high-speed digital signal processing, given its favourable balance between performance, hardware constraints and commercial feasibility.

The team have also developed practical solutions the decision directed Faster-Than-Nyquist (DD-FTN) and the chromatic dispersion (CD) estimation algorithms to mitigate signal distortion and enhance transmission performance in optical networks.

The advancements have been embraced by the industry and have secured over HK$20M in funding support. Notably, the technologies have supported a tech giant in the development and productisation of optical transceivers, strengthening its competitive advantage in the global market.

RAE 2020 Impact Case Study