VCSEL-based multi-wavelength transmitter and receiver modules for serial and parallel optical links

• US 5,914,976 A
• Filed: 01/08/1997
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates (W.L. Gore & Associates)
• Original Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates (W.L. Gore & Associates)
• Inventors: Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar, Welch, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bovernick, Rodney
• Assistant Examiner(s): Song, Yisun
• Application Number:
  US08/780,767
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 372/50, 372/96, 385/93, 359/152
• US Class Current: 372/50.21
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0215 Bonding to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/026 Monolithically integrated components, e.g. waveguides, monitoring photo-detectors, drivers stabilisation of output H01S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0262 Photo-diodes, e.g. transceiver devices, bidirectional devices H01S5/0265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/041 Optical pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18308 having a special structure for lateral current or light confinement
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18361 Structure of the reflectors, e.g. hybrid mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 emitting more than one wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/423 having a vertical cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/426 Vertically stacked cavities

Abstract

An optoelectronic module includes one or more VCSEL transmitters and/or photodetectors coincidentally aligned along a common central longitudinal axis. Differing wavelengths of light can be received and transmitted by the optoelectronic module optically coupled to a single optical fiber or in a free-space link. The optoelectronic module is able to receive two wavelengths and transmit one wavelength, or can transmit two wavelengths in the optical link. The VCSEL transmitter can be optically pumped by a vertically integrated pump VCSEL. A parallel optical link supports transmission and reception for each duplex channel on a single optical fiber. The parallel optical link includes an array of optical fibers, a first array of optoelectronic modules optically coupled to the array of optical fibers to transmit a laser signal having a first wavelength and receive a laser signal having a second wavelength, and a second array of optoelectronic modules optically coupled to the array of optical fibers to transmit the laser signal having the second wavelength and receive the laser signal having the first wavelength. A multi-channel data distribution system enables bidirectional distribution of data between a central distribution point and a number of nodes optically linked to the central distribution point.

Claims