Method and system for selectable parallel optical fiber and wavelength division multiplexed operation
View Patent ↗Methods and systems for selectable parallel optical fiber and WDM operation may include an optoelectronic transceiver integrated in a silicon photonics die. The optoelectronic transceiver may, in a first communication mode, communicate continuous wave (CW) optical signals from an optical source module to a first subset of optical couplers on the die for processing signals in optical modulators in accordance with a first communications protocol, and in a second communication mode, communicate the CW optical signals to a second subset of optical couplers for processing signals in the optical modulators in accordance with a second communications protocol. Processed signals may be transmitted out of the die utilizing a third subset of the optical couplers. First or second protocol optical signals may be received from the fiber interface coupled to a fourth subset or a fifth subset, respectively, of the optical couplers.
1. A method for communication, the method comprising:
in a silicon photonics die comprising an optoelectronic transceiver, the optoelectronic transceiver comprising optical modulators, optical couplers, an optical source module coupled to the photonics die, and a fiber interface coupled to the photonics die:
communicating continuous wave (CW) optical signals from the optical source module to a first subset of the optical couplers for processing signals in the optical modulators in accordance with a first communications protocol or to a second subset of the optical couplers for processing signals in the optical modulators in accordance with a second communications protocol;
transmitting processed signals out of the photonics die utilizing a third subset of the optical couplers;
in a first communication mode, receiving optical signals modulated in accordance with the first communications protocol from the fiber interface coupled to a fourth subset of the optical couplers; and
in a second communication mode, receiving optical signals modulated in accordance with the second communications protocol from the fiber interface coupled to a fifth subset of the optical couplers.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first communications protocol comprises coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM).
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second communications protocol comprises parallel single mode 4-channel (PSM-4).
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fourth and fifth subset of optical couplers comprise polarization splitting grating couplers.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein photodetectors in the silicon photonics die comprise multi-port photodiodes.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein one of the fourth subset of optical couplers and one of the fifth subset of optical couplers is coupled to each multi-port photodiode.
7. The method according to claim 1 , comprising dynamically coupling the CW optical signals to the first subset of optical couplers or the second subset of optical couplers using a multiplexer/demultiplexer in the optical source module.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the optical source module comprises a plurality of semiconductor lasers, a first subset of which emits at wavelengths for the first communications protocol and a second subset of which emits at a wavelength for the second communications protocol.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the optical couplers comprise grating couplers.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the optical couplers comprise end facets of the photonics die.
11. A system for communication, the system comprising:
a silicon photonics die comprising an optoelectronic transceiver, the optoelectronic transceiver comprising optical modulators, optical couplers, an optical source module coupled to the photonics die, and a fiber interface coupled to the photonics die, the optoelectronic transceiver being operable to:
communicate continuous wave (CW) optical signals from the optical source module to a first subset of the optical couplers for processing signals in the optical modulators in accordance with a first communications protocol or to a second subset of the optical couplers for processing signals in the optical modulators in accordance with a second communications protocol;
transmit processed signals out of the photonics die utilizing a third subset of the optical couplers;
in a first communication mode, receive optical signals modulated in accordance with the first communications protocol from the fiber interface coupled to a fourth subset of the optical couplers; and
in a second communication mode, receive optical signals modulated in accordance with the second communications protocol from the fiber interface coupled to a fifth subset of the optical couplers.
12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the first communications protocol comprises coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM).
13. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the second communications protocol comprises parallel single mode 4-channel (PSM-4).
14. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the optical couplers comprise end facets on the photonics die.
15. The system according to claim 11 , wherein photodetectors in the silicon photonics die comprise multi-port photodiodes.
16. The system according to claim 15 , wherein one of the fourth subset of optical couplers and one of the fifth subset of optical couplers is coupled to each multi-port photodiode.
17. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the optoelectronic transceiver is operable to dynamically couple the CW optical signals to the first subset of optical couplers or the second subset of optical couplers using a multiplexer/demultiplexer in the optical source module.
18. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the optical source module comprises a plurality of semiconductor lasers, a first subset of which emits at wavelengths for the first communications protocol and a second subset of which emits at a wavelength for the second communications protocol.
19. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the optical couplers comprise grating couplers and the fourth and fifth subset of optical couplers comprise polarization splitting grating couplers.
20. A system for communication, the system comprising:
a silicon photonics die comprising an optoelectronic transceiver, the optoelectronic transceiver comprising optical modulators, grating couplers, an optical source module coupled to the photonics die, and a fiber interface coupled to the photonics die, the optoelectronic transceiver being operable to:
in a first communication mode, communicate continuous wave (CW) optical signals from the optical source module to a first subset of the grating couplers for processing coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) signals;
in a second communication mode, communicate CW optical signals from the optical source module to a second subset of the grating couplers for processing parallel single mode 4-channel (PSM-4) signals in the optical modulators;
transmit processed signals out of the photonics die utilizing a third subset of the grating couplers; and
receive CWDM optical signals from the fiber interface coupled to a fourth subset of the grating couplers or receive PSM-4 optical signals from the fiber interface coupled to a fifth subset of the grating couplers.