High-sensitivity inter-satellite optical communications using chip-scale LED and single-photon detector hardware

Small satellites have challenging size weight and power requirements for communications modules, which we address here by using chip-scale light-emitting diode (LED) transmitters and single-photon avalanche diode receivers. Data rates of 100 Mb/s have been demonstrated at a sensitivity of -55.2 dBm, and simulations with supporting experimental work indicate ranges in excess of 1 km are feasible with a directional gain of up to 52 dBi and comparatively modest pointing requirements. A 750 m, 20 Mb/s link using a single micro-LED has been demonstrated experimentally. The low electrical power requirements and compact, semiconductor nature of these devices offer high data rate, high sensitivity communications for small satellite platforms. Published by The Optical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Automated summary

This paper addresses the challenging size, weight, and power requirements of small satellite communications modules by using chip-scale LED transmitters and single-photon avalanche diode receivers, achieving high data rates and sensitivity. Experimental results demonstrate the high potential of this approach for small satellite platforms.