OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER FOR 40 GIGABIT/SECOND TRANSMISSION

• US 20080095541A1
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations, U.S.A., Inc. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Emcore Corporation
• Inventors: Dallesasse, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,941,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/191
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers

Abstract

An optical transceiver for converting and coupling an information-containing electrical signal with an optical including a housing having an electrical connector with a plurality of XFI electrical interfaces for coupling with an external electrical cable or information system device and for transmitting and/or receiving an information-containing electrical signal having a data rate ate least 10 Gigabits per second on each interface, and a fiber optic connector adapted for coupling with an external optical fiber for transmitting and/or receiving an optical communications signal having a data rate at least 40 Gigabits per second; and at least one electro-optical subassembly in the housing for converting between and information-containing electrical signal and a modulated optical signal corresponding to the electrical signals.

Claims

1. An optical transceiver for converting and coupling an information-containing electrical signal with an optical fiber comprising:

a housing including an electrical connector with a plurality of XFI electrical interfaces for coupling with an external electrical cable or information system device and for transmitting and/or receiving an information-containing electrical signal having a data rate ate least 10 Gigabit per second on each interface, and a fiber optic connector adapted for coupling with an external optical fiber for transmitting and/or receiving an optical communications signal having a data rate at least 40 Gigabit per second; and

at least one electro-optical subassembly in the housing for converting between and information-containing electrical signal and a modulated optical signal corresponding to the electrical signals.

2. A transceiver as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said electro-optical subassemblies is a transmitter subassembly including at least first and second lasers operating at different wavelengths and modulated with respective first and second electrical signals for emitting first and second laser light beams;

and an optical multiplexer for receiving said first and second beams and multiplexing the respective optical signals into a single multi-wavelength beam that is coupled to said fiber optic connector for transmitting the optical signal to an external optical fiber.

3. A transceiver as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said electro-optical subassemblies is a receiver subassembly including an optical demultiplexer coupled to said fiber optic connector for receiving a multi-wavelength optical signal having a plurality of information-containing signals each with a different predetermined wavelength and demultiplexing the optical signal into distinct optical beams corresponding to said predetermined wavelengths.

4. A transceiver as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing conforms to the 300-pin Multi Source Agreement.

5. A transceiver as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing conforms to the XENPAK Multi Source Agreement.

6. A transceiver as defined in claim 1, wherein said electro-optical subassembly produces an optical signal compliant with IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-LX4.

7. A transceiver as defined in claim 2, wherein the transmitter subassembly includes a hermetically sealed unit including a plurality of semiconductor lasers mounted on a common support and arranged so that the emitted beams from said lasers are substantially parallel.

8. An optical transmitter for converting and coupling an information-containing electrical signal with an optical fiber comprising:

a housing including an electrical connector with an SFI-5 electrical interface for coupling with an external electrical cable or information system device and for transmitting and/or receiving an information-containing electrical signal having a data rate at least 10 Gigabit per second on each interface, and a fiber optic connector adapted for coupling with an external optical fiber for transmitting and/or receiving an optical communications signal having a data rate at least 40 Gigabit per second, and

at least one electro-optical subassembly in the housing for converting between and information-containing electrical signal and a modulated optical signal corresponding to the electrical signals including a transmitter subassembly including at least first and second lasers operating at different wavelengths and modulated with respective first and second electrical signals for emitting first and second laser light beams; and

an optical multiplexer for receiving said first and second beams and multiplexing the respective optical signals into a single multi-wavelength beam that is coupled to said fiber optic connector for transmitting the optical signal to an external optical fiber.

9. A transceiver as defined in claim 8, wherein one of said electro-optical subassemblies is a receiver subassembly including an optical demultiplexer coupled to said fiber optic connector for receiving a multi-wavelength optical signal having a plurality of information-containing signals each with a different predetermined wavelength and demultiplexing the optical signal into distinct optical beams corresponding to said predetermined wavelengths.

12. A transceiver as defined in claim 8, the electro-optical subassembly is compliant with IEEE 802.3ae 10GBASE-LX4.

10. A transceiver as defined in claim wherein said receive subassembly comprises an array of individual photodetectors and wherein the optical multiplexer includes an optical block with a plurality of wavelength selecting elements and reflectors operative to direct the optical beams from each respective wavelength selecting element to respective ones of a plurality of spatially separated image positions corresponding to the locations of discrete photodetectors.

11. A transceiver as defined in claim _____, wherein the housing includes a base member and a cover member forming a 300 pin pluggable module.