VCSEL-based multi-wavelength transmitter and receiver modules for serial and parallel optical links

A process for routing optical signals in an optical link, comprising the following steps:

• (A) transmitting a laser signal from an optoelectronic module, which includes a composite-layer first vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), into an optical link, the transmitted laser signal having a first wavelength in a range from about 770 nm to about 870 nm;
• and
• (B) passing a second laser signal through one or more layers of the composite-layer first VCSEL, the second laser signal having a second wavelength in a range from about 900 nm to about 1000 nm;
• wherein the second laser signal is not substantially absorbed by said first VCSEL.

An optoelectronic module for use in an optical link, coprising:

• a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) which is operative to trasmit a signal having a first wavelength in a range from about 770 nm to about 870 nm into an optical link;
• and
• a photodetector which is operative to receive a signal having a second wavelength in a range from about 900 nm to about 1000 nm from the optical link;
• wherein the optical axes of the VCSEL transmitter and the photodetector are substantially collinear;
• and
• wherein said first signal is transmitted by said VCSEL and said second signal is received by said photodetector.

A parallel optical link for one or more duplex channels, comprising:

• an array of optical fibers;
• a first array of optoelectronic modules,
• each of the first array of optoelectronic modules includes a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and a photodetector having optical axes which are substantially collinear,
• the first array of optoelectronic modules is optically coupled to the array of optical fibers to transmit a laser signal having a first wavelength in a range from about 770 to about 870 and receive a laser signal having a second wavelength in a range from about 900 nm to about 1000 nm;
• and
• a second array of optoelectronic modules,
• each of the second array of optoelectronic modules includes a VCSEL and a photodetector having optical axes which are substantially collinear,
• the second array of optoelectronic modules is optically coupled to the array of optical fibers to transmit the laser signal having the second wavelength and receive the laser signal having the first wavelength.

A link as defined in claim 35, wherein the first array of optoelectronic modules comprises:

• a first array of top-emission VCSELs to transmit the laser signal having the first wavelength into the array of optical fibers;
• and
• a first array of bottom-illuminated photodetectors to receive the laser signal having the second wavelength from the array of optical fibers;
• wherein
• each of the first array of top-emission VCSELs is coincidentally aligned along a common central longitudinal axis with one of the first array of bottom-illuminated photodetectors;
• and
• the laser signal having the second wavelength passes through the first array of VCSELs before being received by the first array of photodetectors.

An optoelectronic module for use in an optical link, comprising:

• a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) transmitter,
• the VCSEL transmitter is operative to transmit a first laser signal into an optical fiber,
• the first laser signal having a first wavelength;
• a front photodetector,
• the front photodetector is operative to receive a second laser signal from the optical fiber,
• the second laser signal having a second wavelength;
• and
• a back photodetector,
• the back photodetector is operative to receive a third laser signal from the optical fiber,
• the third laser signal having a third wavelength;
• wherein
• the VCSEL transmitter, the front photodetector, and the back photodetector have optical axes which are substantially collinear.