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US 12,706,677 B2Granted
Reconfigurable optical transceiver for use with multiple modulation techniques
AssigneeMarvell Asia Pte Ltd
InventorsRadhakrishnan Nagarajan, Masaki Kato, Gary Mak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical module includes a plurality of lasers, each of at least some of the lasers configured to be selectively turned on and turned off depending on a type of modulation to be used. Each laser corresponds to a respective wavelength. The optical module also includes an optical modulation system having a plurality of optical modulators. A reconfigurable optical network of the optical module is configured to selectively direct light from the plurality of lasers to the optical modulation system differently depending on the type of modulation to be used.
Claims23
An optical module for use with multiple optical modulation techniques, the optical module comprising:
- a plurality of lasers, each of at least some of the lasers configured to be selectively turned on and turned off depending on a type of modulation to be used, each laser corresponding to a respective wavelength, wherein the plurality of lasers are configurable so that multiple lasers among the plurality of lasers are i) turned on in a first configuration of the optical module and ii) turned off in a second configuration of the optical module;
- an optical modulation system comprising a plurality of optical modulators;
- and
- a reconfigurable optical network that is configured to selectively direct light from the plurality of lasers to the optical modulation system differently depending on the type of modulation to be used, wherein the reconfigurable optical network is configurable so that i) light from respective lasers among the multiple lasers are directed to respective modulators in the first configuration, and ii) light from a first laser that is turned on in the second configuration is directed to multiple modulators in the second configuration, and wherein the reconfigurable optical network comprises:
- a first variable optical coupler having i) a first input coupled to the first laser, ii) a first output, and iii) a second output,
- a second variable optical coupler having i) a first input coupled to the first output of the first variable optical coupler, ii) a first output coupled to an input of a first optical modulator among the plurality of optical modulators, and iii) a second output coupled to an input of a second optical modulator among the plurality of optical modulators, and
- a third variable optical coupler having i) a first input coupled to the second output of the first variable optical coupler, ii) a first output coupled to an input of a third optical modulator among the plurality of optical modulators, and iii) a second output coupled to an input of a fourth optical modulator among the plurality of optical modulators.
4 more elements
A method of controlling a reconfigurable optical module for transmitting information via an optical medium, the method comprising:
- determining, at a controller, a type of modulation that is to be used to transmit the information via the optical medium, the type of modulation being determined from a plurality of different types of optical modulation techniques, including at least a first type and a second type;
- controlling, by the controller, a plurality of lasers of the reconfigurable optical module to one of i) turn on or ii) turn off at least some of lasers among the plurality of lasers depending on the type of modulation to be used, each laser corresponding to a respective wavelength;
- and
- controlling, by the controller, a reconfigurable optical network of the reconfigurable optical module to selectively direct light from the plurality of lasers to an optical modulation system of the reconfigurable optical module differently depending on the type of modulation to be used, wherein controlling the reconfigurable optical network comprises:
- controlling a first variable optical coupler having a first input coupled to the first laser, so that light from the first laser i) is directed only to a first output of the first variable optical coupler in the first configuration, and iii) is directed to the first output of the first variable optical coupler and a second output of the first variable optical coupler in the second configuration,
- controlling a second variable optical coupler having a first input coupled to the first output of the first variable optical coupler so that light from the first laser i) is directed, in the first configuration, only to a first output of the second variable optical coupler that is coupled to a first modulator among the plurality of optical modulators, and iii) is directed, in the second configuration, to the first output of the first variable optical coupler and a second output of the second variable optical coupler that is coupled to a second modulator among the plurality of optical modulators, and
- controlling a third variable optical coupler having a first input coupled to the second output of the first variable optical coupler so that light received via the first input of the third variable optical coupler i) is directed, in the first configuration, only to a first output of the third variable optical coupler that is coupled to a third modulator among the plurality of optical modulators, and iii) is directed, in the second configuration, to the first output of the first variable optical coupler and a second output of the second variable optical coupler that is coupled to a fourth modulator among the plurality of optical modulators.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.