# US 2017/0288779 A1 · Host-equalized optical links > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0288779 A1 - Document ID: US20170288779A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/085,752 - Filed: 2016-03-30 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30 - Assignees: Finisar Corporation - Applicants: Finisar Corporation - Inventors: Jim Alan Tatum - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170288779A1 ## CPC - H04B 10/40: Transceivers - H04B 10/25073: {using spectral equalisation, e.g. spectral filtering} - H04B 10/503: {Laser transmitters} - H04B 10/504: {using direct modulation} - H04B 10/6971: {using equalisation} - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract An embodiment includes a host-equalized optical transceiver. The host-equalized optical transceiver includes a driver analog interface, a linear laser diode driver (LLDD), and an optical transmitter. The driver analog interface is configured to interface with a host integrated circuit (IC) of a host system. The LLDD is directly electrically coupled to a host IC of the host system via the driver analog interface. The LLDD is configured to receive an equalized electrical data signal directly from the host IC via the driver analog interface and to generate a driving signal based on the equalized electrical data signal. The equalized electrical data signal is a linear signal. The optical transmitter is electrically coupled to the LLDD. The optical transmitter is configured to receive the driving signal from the LLDD and to generate an optical signal that is representative of the driving signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A host-equalized optical transceiver comprising: a driver analog interface that is configured to interface with a host integrated circuit (IC) of a host system; a linear laser diode driver (LLDD) directly electrically coupled to a host IC of the host system via the driver analog interface, wherein the LLDD is configured to receive an equalized electrical data signal directly from the host IC via the driver analog interface and to generate a driving signal based on the equalized electrical data signal, and the equalized electrical data signal is a linear and analog signal; and an optical transmitter that is electrically coupled to the LLDD, wherein the optical transmitter is configured to receive the driving signal from the LLDD and to generate an optical signal that is representative of the driving signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 1, further comprising: an amplifier analog interface; an optical receiver that is optically coupled to an optical fiber, wherein the optical receiver is configured to receive optical data signals communicated along the optical fiber and to convert the received optical data signals to electrical data signals representative of the received optical data signals, the electrical data signals including one or more degraded characteristics; and a linear trans-impedance amplifier (LTIA) that is electrically coupled to the optical receiver and directly electrically coupled to the host IC via the amplifier analog interface, the LTIA being configured to receive the electrical data signals from the optical receiver and communicate amplified electrical signals directly to the host IC via the amplifier analog interface, the amplified electrical signals including the degraded characteristics. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 2, further comprising a digital diagnostics module configured to monitor operational conditions of one or more or a combination of the LLDD, the LTIA, the optical receiver, and the optical transmitter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 2, wherein: the LLDD is further configured to receive a link equalization signal from the host IC, the link equalization signal including data representative of information used in correction and equalization of the optical data signal generated by the optical transmitter and the optical data signal received by the optical receiver; and the LLDD is further configured to encode a supervisory signal onto the optical data signal that is representative of the link equalization signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 1, wherein: the optical transmitter includes a vertical cavity surface emitting laser; and the optical transmitter is configured to communicate at a data rate of about 25 gigabits per second. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 1, wherein the driver analog interface is about six inches long between the host system and the LLDD. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 6, wherein: the host-equalized optical transceiver does not include a transmitter equalization circuit; and the host-equalized optical transceiver does not include a receiver equalization circuit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A host-equalized wave division multiplex (WDM) optical system comprising: a multiplexer; and a plurality of transmitter portions optically coupled to the multiplexer, wherein: each of the plurality of transmitter portions includes the host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 1, configured to generate one optical data signal of a plurality of optical data signals; each of the plurality of optical data signals includes a particular wavelength; and the multiplexer is configured to multiplex the plurality of optical data signals into a WDM optical signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A host-equalized parallel optical system comprising a plurality of transmitter portions, wherein each of the plurality of transmitter portions includes the host-equalized optical transceiver of claim 1. ### Claim 10 A host-equalized optical link configured to be implemented between a first host system and a second host system, the host-equalized optical link comprising: a first host-equalized optical transceiver including: a driver analog interface that is configured to interface with a first host integrated circuit (IC) of the first host system; a linear laser diode driver (LLDD) directly electrically coupled to the first host IC via the driver analog interface, the LLDD configured to receive an equalized electrical data signal directly from the first host IC via the driver analog interface and to generate a driving signal based on the equalized electrical data signal, the equalized electrical data signal being a linear and analog signal; and an optical transmitter that is electrically coupled to the LLDD, the optical transmitter configured to receive the driving signal from the LLDD and to generate an optical data signal that is representative of the driving signal; an optical fiber; a second host-equalized optical transceiver including: an amplifier analog interface; an optical receiver communicatively coupled to the optical transmitter of the first host-equalized optical transceiver via the optical fiber, the optical receiver configured to receive optical data signals communicated along the optical fiber and to convert the received optical data signals to electrical data signals representative of the received optical data signals, the electrical data signals including one or more degraded characteristics; and a linear trans-impedance amplifier (LTIA) that is electrically coupled to the optical receiver and directly electrically coupled to a second host IC of the second host system via the amplifier analog interface, the LTIA being configured to receive the electrical data signals from the optical receiver and communicate amplified electrical signals directly to the host IC via the amplifier analog interface, the amplified electrical signals including the degraded characteristic, wherein the optical signal communicated between the first host-equalized optical transceiver and the second host-equalized optical transceiver is linear end-to-end. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The host-equalized optical link of claim 10, wherein no equalization is performed by the first host-equalized optical transceiver or the second host-equalized optical transceiver. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The host-equalized optical link of claim 10, wherein the first host-equalized optical transceiver includes a digital diagnostics module configured to monitor operational conditions of one or more or a combination of the LLDD and the optical transmitter. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The host-equalized optical link of claim 10, wherein: the LLDD is further configured to receive a link equalization signal from the first host IC, the link equalization signal including data representative of information used in correction and equalization of the optical data signal generated by the optical transmitter and the optical data signal received by the optical receiver; and the LLDD is further configured encode a supervisory signal onto the optical data signal that is representative of the link equalization signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The host-equalized optical link of claim 10, wherein the second host-equalized optical transceiver includes: a second driver analog interface that is configured to interface with the second host IC of the second host system; a second LLDD directly electrically coupled to the second host IC via the second driver analog interface, the second LLDD configured to receive an equalized electrical data signal directly from the second host IC via the second driver analog interface and to generate a driving signal based on the equalized electrical data signal, the equalized electrical data signal being a linear signal; and a second optical transmitter that is electrically coupled to the second LLDD, the second optical transmitter configured to receive the driving signal from the LLDD to generate an optical data signal that is representative of the driving signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The host-equalized optical link of claim 14, wherein the first host-equalized optical transceiver includes: a second amplifier analog interface; a second optical receiver coupled to the second optical transmitter of the second host-equalized optical transceiver via the optical fiber, the optical receiver configured to receive optical data signals communicated along the optical fiber and to convert the received optical data signals to electrical data signals representative of the received optical signals, the electrical data signals including one or more degraded characteristics; and a second LTIA that is electrically coupled to the second optical receiver and directly electrically coupled to the first host IC of the first host system via the second amplifier analog interface, the LTIA being configured to receive the electrical data signals from the optical receiver and communicate amplified electrical signals directly to the host IC via the amplifier analog interface, the amplified electrical signals including the degraded characteristics. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The host-equalized optical link of claim 10, wherein the first host-equalized optical transceiver does not include a transmitter equalization circuit and does not include a receiver equalization circuit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The host-equalized optical link of claim 10, wherein the driver analog interface and the amplifier analog interface are six inches in length. ### Claim 18 An optical system comprising: a first host system that includes a first host IC; a second host system that includes a second host IC; a host-equalized optical link comprising: a first host-equalized optical transceiver including: a driver analog interface that is configured to interface with the first host integrated circuit (IC) of the first host system; a linear laser diode driver (LLDD) directly electrically coupled to the first host IC via the driver analog interface, the LLDD configured to receive an equalized electrical data signal directly from the first host IC via the driver analog interface and to generate a driving signal based on the equalized electrical data signal, the equalized electrical data signal being a linear and analog signal; and an optical transmitter that is electrically coupled to the LLDD, the optical transmitter configured to receive the driving signal from the LLDD and to generate an optical data signal that is representative of the driving signal; an optical fiber; a second host-equalized optical transceiver including: an amplifier analog interface; an optical receiver communicatively coupled to the optical transmitter of the first host-equalized optical transceiver via the optical fiber, the optical receiver configured to receive optical data signals communicated along the optical fiber and to convert the received optical data signals to electrical data signals representative of the received optical data signals, the electrical data signals including one or more degraded characteristics; and a linear trans-impedance amplifier (LTIA) that is electrically coupled to the optical receiver and directly electrically coupled to the second host IC of the second host system via the amplifier analog interface, the LTIA being configured to receive the electrical data signals from the optical receiver and communicate amplified electrical signals directly to the host IC via the amplifier analog interface, the amplified electrical signals including the degraded characteristic, wherein the optical signal communicated between the first host-equalized optical transceiver and the second host-equalized optical transceiver is linear end-to-end, and wherein the first host IC and the second host IC perform equalization processes in the optical system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The optical system of claim 18, wherein the first host IC is configured to communicate a link equalization signal with the second host IC via the host-equalized optical link. ### Claim 20 (depends on 10) An active optical cable comprising the host-equalized optical link of claim 10.