Cluster integration approach to optical transceiver arrays and fiber bundles
US6527456B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 13, 2000 |
| Grant date | Mar 4, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 13, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/4249
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for efficiently transferring data on and off of an integrated circuit in a network node. In one embodiment, the chip has a silicon substrate and direct interconnection with optical fibers. In particular, the present invention pertains to an arrangement of the transmitters and receivers, along with processing circuitry and optical fibers, so signals are routed most efficiently for a given type of architecture, such as ring, star, routers, and crossbars. In one embodiment, the transmitters and receivers are interdigitated to provide bi-directional optical channels. An additional feature of the invention is the mating of the optical fibers to the transmitters and receivers, such that there is a direct correspondence on both ends of the optic fibers. The optical fibers of the transmitters and receivers can be grouped or bundled together to allow reconfiguration of different topology or to improve system performance by bundling together certain fibers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.