Electro-Optical Interface Module and Associated Methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020021384-A1
Application number	US-201916510824-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 12, 2019
Priority date	Jul 12, 2018
Publication date	Jan 16, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A TORminator module is disposed with a switch linecard of a rack. The TORminator module receives downlink electrical data signals from a rack switch. The TORminator module translates the downlink electrical data signals into downlink optical data signals. The TORminator module transmits multiple subsets of the downlink optical data signals through optical fibers to respective SmartDistributor modules disposed in respective racks. Each SmartDistributor module receives multiple downlink optical data signals through a single optical fiber from the TORminator module. The SmartDistributor module demultiplexes the multiple downlink optical data signals and distributes them to respective servers. The SmartDistributor module receives multiple uplink optical data signals from multiple servers and multiplexes them onto a single optical fiber for transmission to the TORminator module. The TORminator module coverts the multiple uplink optical data signals to multiple uplink electrical data signals, and transmits the multiple uplink electrical data signals to the rack switch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electro-optical interface module, comprising:
an optical fiber interface configured to optically couple to a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber; and an electronic-photonic chip including a first optical coupler and a second optical coupler, the first optical coupler configured and connected to receive light transmitted through the optical fiber interface from the first optical fiber, the second optical coupler configured and connected to direct light through the optical fiber interface to the second optical fiber, the electronic-photonic chip including a downlink polarization control device configured to split light received through the first optical coupler into a first polarization of light and a second polarization of light, the electronic-photonic chip including a downlink data receiver device configured and connected to receive light from the downlink polarization control device, the downlink data receiver device configured and connected to filter downlink modulated light from the light received from the downlink polarization control device and convert the downlink modulated light into a downlink electrical data signal, the downlink data receiver device configured and connected to direct unmodulated continuous wave light received from the downlink polarization control device to an optical output of the downlink data receiver device, the electronic-photonic chip including an uplink data modulator device configured and connected to receive the unmodulated continuous wave light from the optical output of the downlink polarization control device, the uplink data modulator device configured and connected to imprint an uplink electrical data signal on the unmodulated continuous wave light to generate uplink modulated light, the uplink data modulator device configured and connected to direct the uplink modulated light to the second optical coupler, the electronic-photonic chip including an electrical input/output block configured and connected to receive the downlink electrical data signal from the downlink data receiver device and direct the downlink electrical data signal to circuitry external to the electronic-photonic chip, the electrical input/output block configured and connected to receive the uplink electrical data signal from circuitry external to the electronic-photonic chip and direct the uplink electrical data signal to the uplink data modulator device.

2 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein electronic components and photonic components of the electronic-photonic chip are integrated monolithically on a same die formed in a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication process.

3 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electronic-photonic chip includes electronic circuitry for controlling a polarization and a resonant wavelength of photonic components within the electronic-photonic chip.

4 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electronic-photonic chip includes non-retimed electronic circuitry including optical receivers and optical modulator drivers.

5 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electronic-photonic chip includes retimed electronic circuitry including a serializer circuit, a deserializer circuit, a clock generator, a phase-lock loop, and a clock-data-recovery loop.

6 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the downlink polarization control device includes a polarization splitting optical grating.

7 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the downlink polarization control device includes a polarization independent optical coupler having an optical output coupled to an optical input of a polarization splitter-rotator.

8 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the downlink polarization control device includes a thermally controlled Mach-Zehnder interferometer configured to combine the first polarization of light and the second polarization of light onto a single optical waveguide.

9 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the downlink data receiver device includes one or more resonant ring filters configured to drop one or more wavelengths of downlink modulated light to one or more photodetectors respectively corresponding to the one or more resonant ring filters.

10 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 9 , wherein the one or more photodetectors are respectively integrated in the one or more resonant ring filters.

11 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 9 , wherein the downlink data receiver device includes one or more heaters respectively embedded within the one or more resonant ring filters, wherein the one or more heaters are electrically controllable to enable control of respective resonant wavelengths of the one or more resonant ring filters.

12 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 11 , wherein one or more embedded digital control loops are respectively connected to the one or more heaters, wherein a given embedded digital control loop is configured to sense an amount of light that is absorbed within a given resonant ring filter corresponding to a given heater connected to the given embedded digital control loop.

13 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 12 , wherein the one or more embedded digital control loops are implemented within the electronic-photonic chip.

14 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 12 , wherein the one or more embedded digital control loops are implemented within a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) chip different from the electronic-photonic chip.

15 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 1 , wherein the uplink data modulator device includes one or more resonant ring modulators respectively tuned to one or more wavelengths of the unmodulated continuous wave light received from the optical output of the downlink polarization control device.

16 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 15 , wherein the uplink data receiver device includes one or more heaters respectively embedded within the one or more resonant ring modulators, wherein the one or more heaters are electrically controllable to enable control of respective resonant wavelengths of the one or more resonant ring modulators.

17 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 16 , wherein one or more embedded digital control loops are respectively connected to the one or more heaters, wherein a given embedded digital control loop is configured to sense an amount of light that is absorbed within a given resonant ring modulator corresponding to a given heater connected to the given embedded digital control loop.

18 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 17 , wherein the one or more embedded digital control loops are implemented within the electronic-photonic chip.

19 . The electro-optical interface module as recited in claim 17 , wherein the one or more embedded digital control loops are implemented within a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) chip different from the electronic-photonic chip.

20 . A method for operating an electro-optical interface of a server, comprising:
receiving downlink light through a first optical coupler, the downlink light including downlink modulated light o

Assignees

• Ayar Labs Inc

Inventors

• Stojanovic Vladimir
• Wright Alexandra
• Sun Chen
• Wade Mark
• Meade Roy Edward

Classifications

• H04Q11/0071

  Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface · CPC title

• G02B6/4295

  coupling with semiconductor devices activated by light through the light guide, e.g. thyristors, phototransistors · CPC title

• H04J14/0209 Primary

  Multi-stage arrangements, e.g. by cascading multiplexers or demultiplexers · CPC title

• G02B6/2938

  for multiplexing or demultiplexing, i.e. combining or separating wavelengths, e.g. 1xN, NxM · CPC title

• H04Q11/0067

  Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring · CPC title