Optical module for terabit switch

Abstract

A switch module includes a switch integrated circuit (IC), a photonic integrated circuit (PIC), and a planar lightwave circuit (PLC). The PIC may include a plurality of light sources, an optical splitter, and a plurality of modulators. A dual MEMS may be used to align lens arrays, which may be used to couple light from the PIC to the PLC.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 395,802, filed on Sep. 16, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present application relates generally to fiber optic communications and more particularly to switching devices having fiber optic connections.[0003]Much of our cloud based infrastructure is based on storage and processing of data by large numbers of servers in data centers. These servers are connected through a switch network in various configurations. A typical topology might be large groups of 96 servers in a rack connected to a top of rack (TOR) switch. These TOR switches are connected to an aggregation or leaf switch, which in turn is connected to a spine switch. The spine switches are interconnected to form a huge network where every server can connect with every other up and down various links in the system...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention provides a switch module that integrates a switch IC chip, PICs, and PLCs for transmitting and processing optical signals. The module can route inputs to outputs, split light from multiple sources, and modulate the light for transmission. On the receiver side, the module combines the modulated optical signals from multiple PICs into a single optical output. The technical effects include improved optical signal processing and more efficient transmission of information using optical signals.

Problems solved by technology

Given the large number of lanes, the interconnect density and power consumption of the module can be a bottleneck to the system.

As the switch ICs improve in performance, the switch modules are even more limited by the constraints of the architecture.

Accordingly, the conventional switch is seriously limited by the architecture of a central switch IC connected to optical transceivers in the front panel, and the constraints are increasing with newer generations of switches.

These constraints may include:Cost of the optical transceivers.Power consumption, where perhaps 30%-50% of the total power is expended in equalizing / regenerating electrical signals as data is transferred back and forth from the switch IC and in / out of the transceivers.

A considerable amount of power may be consumed by the optical transceivers on the front panel, where airflow is often restricted.Panel density—the size of the transceivers is such that a limited number of them can be placed on the front panel and thus only a limited bandwidth out of the front panel of the switch.

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