Optical Receiver Module for High-Speed Short-Reach Communications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coherent optical receivers are costly and power-intensive, making them incompatible with short reach optical communication networks, and they struggle to accommodate high-speed signals due to bandwidth limitations in the electrical domain.
Innovation Solution
A receiver module and method that utilize a polarizing beam splitter and a multiport optical coupler to split and process optical input signals with a local recovery signal, generating multiple local conversion signals of different frequencies to filter out unwanted components, allowing for efficient recovery of high-speed signals in the optical domain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional coherent optical receivers are used to increase receiver sensitivity and enable advanced modulation techniques, then signal detection capability is improved, but cost and power consumption increase significantly making them incompatible with short reach optical networks
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver is segmented into distinct functional modules: optical coupler for signal mixing, photodetector array for parallel detection of multiple signal components, and simplified processing circuits. This modular segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity and cost while maintaining sensitivity through the coordinated operation of these specialized subsystems
Solution Approach 2:
The optical coupler serves multiple functions simultaneously: it mixes the received signal with the local oscillator signal, splits the combined signal into multiple orthogonal components, and directs these components to the photodetector array. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate mixing and splitting components, reducing device complexity and cost while preserving the coherent detection capability
2Productivity
If conventional coherent receivers process high-speed signals through electrical domain processing, then signal recovery is achieved, but bandwidth limitations in the electrical domain prevent effective accommodation of signals with bitrates greater than 10 Gbit/s
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electrical domain signal processing with optical domain processing. The optical coupler performs signal mixing and the photodetector array performs parallel detection directly in the optical domain, avoiding the need for high-speed electrical processing circuits. This substitution of optical mechanisms for electrical processing enables the system to handle high-speed signals with bitrates greater than 10 Gbit/s by maintaining the signal processing operations in the optical domain where bandwidth limitations are less restrictive
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
Enables the recovery of high-speed signals with bitrates greater than 10 Gbit/s, reducing costs and power consumption while maintaining sensitivity and tuneability, suitable for short reach optical communications and 5G transport networks.
Implementation Method 1
a polarising beam splitter for splitting one of the optical input signal and a local recovery optical signal
Implementation Method 2
a first photodetector unit for individually photodetecting the outputs of the multiport optical coupler
Data Source
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AI summary
A receiver module (100) is disclosed for receiving an optical input signal and generating an electrical output signal from the optical input signal. The receiver module comprises an input (110) for receiving an optical input signal and a polarising beam splitter (120) for splitting one of the optical input signal and a local recovery optical signal. The receiver module also comprises a multiport optical coupler (130) for coupling the outputs of the polarisation beam splitter and the other of the optical input signal and local recovery optical signal and outputting a plurality of outputs. The receiver module further comprises a first photodetector unit (140) for individually photodetecting the outputs of the multiport optical coupler and an optical modulation unit (150) for using each of the photodetected outputs to modulate a respective local conversion optical signal, where each local conversion optical signal has a different frequency from the other local conversion optical signals. The receiver module also comprises an optical coupler (160) for coupling the modulated local conversion optical signals to generate an optical output signal and a second photodetector unit (170) for photodetecting the optical output signal to generate an electrical output signal. Also disclosed are a method (500,700) and a multichannel receiver (300).