Ultra-compact and Low-loss Pixelated Mode (De)-Multiplexer for Mode-division Multiplexed Coherent-lite Optical Interconnects

We demonstrate an ultra-compact and low-loss pixelated four-TE-mode (de)multiplexer with sub- 1 dB insertion loss for all modes at 1550 nm, enabling net $1.09 \text{Tb} / \text{s} / \lambda$ SCM-32QAM signal transmission across 16 wavelengths in mode-division-multiplexed coherent-lite optical interconnects.