Chip-to-chip optical data communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249260-B2
Application number	US-202016937428-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2020
Priority date	Jul 14, 2016
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

An optical input/output chiplet is disposed on a first package substrate. The optical input/output chiplet includes one or more supply optical ports for receiving continuous wave light. The optical input/output chiplet includes one or more transmit optical ports through which modulated light is transmitted. The optical input/output chiplet includes one or more receive optical ports through which modulated light is received by the optical input/output chiplet. An optical power supply module is disposed on a second package substrate. The second package substrate is separate from the first package substrate. The optical power supply module includes one or more output optical ports through which continuous wave laser light is transmitted. A set of optical fibers optically connect the one or more output optical ports of the optical power supply module to the one or more supply optical ports of the optical input/output chiplet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical data communication system, comprising:
a first package substrate;
an optical input/output chiplet disposed on the first package substrate, the optical input/output chiplet including one or more supply optical ports for receiving continuous wave light, the optical input/output chiplet including one or more transmit optical ports through which modulated light is transmitted by the optical input/output chiplet, the optical input/output chiplet including one or more receive optical ports through which modulated light is received by the optical input/output chiplet;
a system-on-chip disposed on the first package substrate, the system-on-chip electrically connected to the optical input/output chiplet through routings of electrical traces formed within the first package substrate;
a second package substrate separate from the first package substrate;
an optical power supply module disposed on the second package substrate, the optical power supply module including one or more output optical ports through which continuous wave laser light is transmitted; and
a set of optical fibers optically connecting the one or more output optical ports of the optical power supply module to the one or more supply optical ports of the optical input/output chiplet.

2. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 1 , wherein both the first package substrate and the second package substrate are disposed inside of a single computing device.

3. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the optical input/output chiplet includes one or more receive optical waveguides respectively optically coupled to the one or more receive optical ports, and wherein the optical input/output chiplet includes one or more receive optical ring resonators disposed proximate to each of the one or more receive optical waveguides so as to couple in light from the one or more receive optical waveguides.

4. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 3 , wherein each of the one or more receive optical ring resonators is configured to couple in light of a particular wavelength.

5. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 4 , wherein the optical input/output chiplet includes one or more photodetectors respectively optically coupled to the one or more receive optical ring resonators, each of the one or more photodetectors configured to generate a photocurrent proportional to an amount of light of the particular wavelength coupled into the corresponding receive optical ring resonator.

6. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the optical input/output chiplet includes one or more transmit optical waveguides, wherein each of the one or more transmit optical waveguides has a first end optically coupled to a corresponding one of the one or more supply optical ports and a second end optically coupled to a corresponding one of the one or more transmit optical ports.

7. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 6 , wherein each of the one or more transmit optical waveguides has a substantially U-shaped configuration.

8. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the optical input/output chiplet includes one or more transmit optical ring modulators disposed proximate to each of the one or more transmit optical waveguides, the one or more transmit optical ring modulators configured to generate an output modulated light stream in the transmit optical waveguide.

9. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first package substrate includes routings of electrical traces configured to carry electrical power, electrical ground, electrical data input signals, and electrical data output signals for the optical input/output chiplet.

10. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 9 , wherein the routings of electrical traces are formed in multiple levels of the first package substrate, and wherein electrical traces in different levels of the first package substrate are electrically connected through electrically conductive via structures.

11. The optical data communication system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the optical power supply module includes a laser source and a marshalling module, the laser source configured to generate and output a plurality of laser beams of continuous wave light, the plurality of laser beams having different wavelengths relative to each other, the optical marshalling module configured to distribute the plurality of laser beams to each of the one or more output optical ports of the optical power supply module, such that all of the different wavelengths of the plurality of laser beams are provided to each of the one or more output optical ports of the optical power supply module.

12. A method for optical data communication, comprising:
operating an optical input/output chiplet disposed on a first package substrate to receive an input modulated light stream through a first optical fiber;
operating the optical input/output chiplet to receive the input modulated light stream to generate an input electrical data signal;
operating an optical power supply module disposed on a second package substrate to generate continuous wave laser light, wherein the second package substrate is separate from the first package substrate;
transmitting the continuous wave laser light through a second optical fiber to the optical input/output chiplet;
operating the optical input/output chiplet to modulate the continuous wave laser light in accordance with an output electrical data signal to generate an output modulated light stream;
operating the optical input/output chiplet to transmit the output modulated light stream through a third optical fiber to a network link;
operating the optical input/output chiplet to receive electrical data signals from a system-on-chip disposed on the first package substrate through electrical traces routed within the first package substrate; and
operating the optical input/output chiplet to transmit electrical data signals to the system-on-chip disposed on the first package substrate through electrical traces routed within the first package substrate.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein the electrical traces are formed in multiple levels of the first package substrate, and wherein electrical traces in different levels of the first package substrate are electrically connected through electrically conductive via structures.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein both the first package substrate and the second package substrate are disposed inside of a single computing device.

15. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein operating the optical input/output chiplet to receive the input modulated light stream to generate the input electrical data signal includes optically coupling the input modulated light stream into a receive optical waveguide and optically coupling the input modulated light stream from the receive optical waveguide into a receive optical ring resonator.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the receive optical ring resonator is configured to couple in light of a particular wavelength that is equal to a wavelength of the input modulated light stream.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein operating the optical input/output chiplet to receive the input modulated light stream to generate the input electrical data signal further includes operating a photodetector to generate a photocurrent proportional to an amount of light of the particular wavel

Assignees

• Ayar Labs Inc

Inventors

• Wright Alexandra
• Wade Mark
• Sun Chen
• Stojanovic Vladimir
• Ram Rajeev
• Popovic Milos
• Meade Roy Edward
• Van Orden Derek

Classifications

• G02B6/43

  Arrangements comprising a plurality of opto-electronic elements and associated optical interconnections · CPC title

• G02B6/4215 Primary

  the intermediate optical elements being wavelength selective optical elements, e.g. variable wavelength optical modules or wavelength lockers (G02B6/4246 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/2934

  Fibre ring resonators, e.g. fibre coils · CPC title

• G02B6/4216

  incorporating polarisation-maintaining fibres (polarisation-maintaining fibres per se G02B6/105) · CPC title

• G02B6/4202 Primary

  for coupling an active element with fibres without intermediate optical elements, e.g. fibres with plane ends, fibres with shaped ends, bundles · CPC title