Co-Packaged Optical-Electrical Interface Power Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing co-packaged optical-electrical devices face challenges in designing power-efficient and scalable electrical interfaces to handle high data rates, leading to difficulties in scaling and reconfiguring as data capacity increases.
Innovation Solution
An improved co-packaged hybrid interface is implemented, integrating digital signal processing and error correction modules into the Ethernet ASIC, and using spectral efficient transfers such as PAM/QAM signaling between the ASIC and transceivers, along with MIMO processing to mitigate inter-channel impairments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If optical components are moved closer to the Ethernet ASIC and integrated on a host board or single chip, then power consumption is reduced and capacity is increased, but device complexity and difficulty of design increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the optical-electrical integration into modular co-packaged units that can be independently designed and then assembled together. The Ethernet ASIC, optical transceivers, and interconnect structures are separated into distinct but closely integrated modules, allowing specialized design of each component while achieving overall system integration benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing optical transceivers and electrical components within the same package substrate or chip carrier. The optical components are positioned in close proximity to the Ethernet ASIC on the same package, creating a nested hierarchical structure that reduces inter-component distances while maintaining design modularity.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If co-packaged optical-electrical components are integrated on a single chip, then power requirements are lowered, but scalability and reconfigurability become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic reconfigurable interconnect structures that allow the optical-electrical package to be reconfigured for different data rates and capacity requirements. The interconnect architecture supports dynamic allocation of optical channels and electrical pathways, enabling the system to adapt to varying network demands without requiring complete redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs universal co-packaged modules that can serve multiple functions and configurations. The optical transceivers and electrical interface are designed to support multiple data rates and protocol standards, allowing the same physical package to be used across different application scenarios and scaled by simply activating or deactivating specific functional pathways.
3Productivity
If data capacity is increased by integrating more components, then network throughput improves, but inter-channel impairments and signal interference increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality optimization by carefully designing the physical layout and electromagnetic shielding around each optical and electrical interface. The co-packaged structure incorporates localized grounding schemes, differential signaling paths, and electromagnetic isolation structures that are specifically tailored to each signal channel's requirements, reducing crosstalk and interference while maintaining high data capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution achieves significant power savings, cost savings, and increased scalability by enabling higher spectrally efficient formats, reducing electrical components, and effectively mitigating inter-channel impairments.
Implementation Method 1
generating, using the one or more co-packaged optical modules, optical signal from the analog electrical signal by using the analog electrical signal to drive an optical modulator in the one or more co-packaged optical modules
Implementation Method 2
generating additional analog electrical signal by converting the additional optical signal using one or more photodetectors in the one or more co-packaged optical modules
Data Source
AI summary
A co-packaged optical-electrical chip can include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and a plurality of optical modules, such as optical transceivers. The ASIC and each of the optical modules can exchange electrical signaling via integrated electrical paths. The ASIC can include Ethernet switch, error correction, bit-to-symbol mapping/demapping, and digital signal processing circuits to pre-compensate and post-compensate channel impairments (e.g., inter-channel/intra-channel impairments) in electrical and optical domains. The co-packaged inter-chip interface can be scaled to handle different data rates using spectral efficient signaling formats (e.g., QAM-64, PAM-8) without adding additional data lines to a given design and without significantly increasing the power consumption of the design.