Bidirectional HDCP module using single optical fiber and waveguide combiner/splitter

• US 7,400,801 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OWLink Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: OWLink Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Tong, Xiaolin, Blair, Randall, Hu, Todd, Tzeng, Shing-Wu P.
• Primary Examiner(s): HEALY, BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US11/765,329
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 385/31, 385/30, 385/28, 385/27, 385/33, 385/34, 385/39, 385/43, 385/44, 385/45, 385/49, 385/50, 385/88, 385/89, 385/92, 385/93, 385/94, 398/135, 398/137, 398/138, 398/139
• US Class Current: 385/43
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1228 Tapered waveguides, e.g. integrated spot-size transformers for coupling with fibres G02B6/305
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/125 Bends, branchings or intersections
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4204 the coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms encapsulated active devices H01S5/02208, H01L33/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers

Abstract

Embodiments provide single fiber bidirectional HDCP modules. A signal fiber module includes at least one laser and at least one detector and a waveguide combiner/splitter. An optical fiber is used as a cylindrical lens in order to partially collimate in the vertical axis the optical signals entering and leaving branches of a waveguide. The branches of the waveguide have lens-shape interfaces in order to at least partially collimate in the horizontal axis the beams entering and leaving the waveguide. Each branch of the waveguide tapers toward a join-section of the waveguide. At the join section, the cross-section of a laser branch is smaller than the cross-section of a detector branch. If more than one detector is present in a module, the cross-sections of the detector branches differ from each other. If more than one laser is present in a module, the cross-sections of the laser branches differ from each other.

Claims

1. A transmission module having a waveguide combiner/splitter for single fiber bidirectional optical data communication, the module comprising:

a first light source for transmitting light along a first forward channel through a first branch of a waveguide;

a detector for receiving light along a backward channel through a second branch of the waveguide;

a first optical fiber transverse to the forward and backward channels, the optical fiber being between the light source and the waveguide to couple the transmitted light to the first branch of the waveguide and being between the detector and the waveguide to couple the received light from the second branch of the waveguide; and

a join-section of the waveguide, wherein the first and second branches of the waveguide merge.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein the first and second branches of the waveguide have lens-shaped interfaces to partially collimate light entering the waveguide and leaving the waveguide.

3. The module of claim 2, wherein the lens-shaped interfaces have convex surfaces oriented toward the first optical fiber.

4. The module of claim 1, wherein the detector is a PIN detector.

5. The module of claim 1, wherein the first light source is an infrared laser.

6. The module of claim 1, wherein a multimode optical fiber is optically coupled to the waveguide downstream from the join-section of the waveguide.

7. The module of claim 1, wherein the first branch of the waveguide tapers toward the join-section of the waveguide.

8. The module of claim 1, wherein the first branch has a smaller cross-section than the second branch at the join-section of the waveguide.

9. The module of claim 1, wherein the transmitted light along the first forward channel is an HDCP transmission.

10. The module of claim 1, further comprising a second light source for transmitting light along a second forward channel through a third branch of the waveguide, and wherein the first, second, and third branches of the waveguide merge in the join-section of the waveguide.

11. The module of claim 10, wherein the first branch has a smaller diameter than the third branch at the join-section of the waveguide and the third branch has a smaller cross-section than the second branch at the join-section of the waveguide.

12. The module of claim 11, wherein the first branch is approximately 10% smaller in cross-sectional area than the third branch at the join-section of the waveguide.

13. The module of claim 10, wherein the first light source and the second light source are near infrared light sources of different wavelengths.

14. The module of claim 10, wherein the first light source transmits clock signals, the second light source transmits data signals, and the detector receives data signals.

15. A receiver module having a waveguide combiner/splitter for single fiber bidirectional optical data communication, the module comprising:

a first detector for receiving light along a first forward channel through a first branch of a waveguide;

a light source for transmitting light along a backward channel through a second branch of the waveguide;

a first optical fiber transverse to the forward and backward channels, the optical fiber being between the waveguide and the first detector to couple the received light from the first branch of the waveguide and being between the waveguide and the light source to couple the transmitted light to the first branch of the waveguide; and

a join-section of the waveguide, wherein the first and second branches of the waveguide merge.

16. The module of claim 15, wherein the first and second branches of the waveguide have lens-shaped interfaces to partially collimate light entering and leaving the waveguide.

17. The module of claim 16, wherein the lens-shaped interfaces have convex surfaces oriented toward the first optical fiber.

18. The module of claim 15, wherein the first detector is a PIN detector.

19. The module of claim 15, wherein the light source is an infrared laser.

20. The module of claim 15, wherein a multimode optical fiber is optically coupled to the waveguide from the join-section of the waveguide.

21. The module of claim 15, wherein the second branch of the waveguide tapers toward the join-section of the waveguide.

22. The module of claim 15, wherein the second branch has a smaller cross-section than the first branch at the join-section of the waveguide.

23. The module of claim 15, wherein the received light along the first forward channel is an HDCP transmission.

24. The module of claim 15, further comprising a second detector for receiving light along a second forward channel through a third branch of the waveguide, and wherein the first, second, and third branches of the waveguide merge in the join-section of the waveguide.

25. The module of claim 24, wherein the second branch has a smaller cross-section than the third branch at the join-section of the waveguide and the third branch has a smaller cross-section than the first branch at the join-section of the waveguide.

26. The module of claim 25, wherein the third branch is approximately 10% smaller in cross-sectional area than the first branch at the join-section of the waveguide.

27. The module of claim 24, wherein the first detector receives clock signals, the second detector receives data signals, and the light source transmits data signals.