A Compact Low-cost 4-channel * 10-Gbit/s Optical Module for Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing Links

摘要

We have developed a compact low-cost optical module that has four 10-Gbit/s transmission channels of different wavelengths giving a total throughput of 40 Gbit/s. The target applications of the module are short-reach links such as inter-rack connections in POP (point of presence) and WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) access networks. Although 40-Gbit/s laser modulators, photodiodes, and driver LSIs(large-scale integrated circuits) are available, they are still expensive. However, a 10-Gbit/s optical link can be made using cheap direct-modulation laser diodes and low-cost CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) driver LSIs. Thus, a four-channel CWDM (coarse wavelength division multiplexing) link is the most cost-effective way to achieve 40-Gbit/s transmission. Our module has a compact package size of 33 * 30 * 6.3 mm3 and is assembled using a simple optical alignment process based on a novel silicon platform technique to reduce the assembly cost. We verified CWDM transmission over a 10-km fiber with a pair of commercial available CWDM multiplexer/demultiplexer filters.