Optical transport network

An optical transport network having a transceiver, comprising:

• a monolithic transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) InP-based chip comprising:
• an array of optical channels formed in the chip that are coupled as inputs to an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG);
• each of the optical channels including, in integrated form, a semiconductor laser source and an electro-optic modulator and providing a modulated channel signal;
• each of the laser sources having a different operational wavelength and together approximating a standardized wavelength grid;
• the AWG having a wavelength grid with a passband substantially matching the standardized wavelength grid of the laser sources and functioning as a multiplexer of modulated channel signals received at its as input and providing a multiplexed channel signal at its output for off-chip optical coupling to an optical link;
• a monolithic receiver photonic integrated circuit (RxPIC) InP-based chip comprising:
• an input to receive the multiplexed channel signal from the optical link and provide the same to an input of an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) integrated on the chip;
• the AWG having a wavelength grid with a passband substantially matching the standardized wavelength grid of the laser sources and functioning as a demultiplexer of the multiplexed channel signal received at its input;
• the AWG having a plurality of optical output channels to respectively receive a demultiplexed channel signal at a respective output;
• each of the AWG output channels having an integrated photodetector for detecting the demultiplexed channel signal and produce a corresponding electrical signal.