Electro-optical apparatus having high-throughput electrical data links

An apparatus comprising:

• an optical data transmitter configured to generate a modulated optical carrier;
• first and second electrical buses;
• first and second electrical serializers serially connected between the first electrical bus and the optical data transmitter, the first electrical serializer being configured to serialize a first number of parallel bitstreams transmitted on the first electrical bus into a different second number of parallel bitstreams for transmission to the second electrical serializer via the second electrical bus;
• an optical data receiver configured to optically receive data;
• and
• an electrical core circuit configured to generate the parallel bitstreams transmitted on the first electrical bus, the electrical core circuit being electrically connected to the optical data receiver to receive another plurality of parallel bitstreams on a third electrical bus via a series of electrical deserializers, said another plurality of parallel bitstreams carrying the data optically received by the optical data receiver;
• and
• wherein the optical data transmitter is configured to generate a sequence of optical modulation symbols of the modulated optical carrier in response to a single bitstream or a plurality of parallel bitstreams generated by the second electrical serializer based on the second number of parallel bitstreams.

An apparatus comprising:

• an optical data transmitter configured to generate a modulated optical carrier;
• first and second electrical buses;
• first and second electrical serializers serially connected between the first electrical bus and the optical data transmitter, the first electrical serializer being configured to serialize a first number of parallel bitstreams transmitted on the first electrical bus into a different second number of parallel bitstreams for transmission to the second electrical serializer via the second electrical bus;
• and
• an electrical core circuit configured to generate the parallel bitstreams transmitted on the first electrical bus, the electrical core circuit comprising an N×M electrical switch, where N and M are positive integers, and at least one of N and M is greater than one;
• and
• wherein the optical data transmitter is configured to generate a sequence of optical modulation symbols of the modulated optical carrier in response to a single bitstream or a plurality of parallel bitstreams generated by the second electrical serializer based on the second number of parallel bitstreams.