Integrated Optical Transceiver With 3D Stacking for Signal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical transceivers face challenges in achieving high data rates due to the limitations of traditional 2D component placement, which results in increased board area consumption and electrical losses from wire bonds, making it difficult to shrink product size and maintain signal integrity for data rates beyond 400 Gbit/s.
Innovation Solution
The development of an integrated optical transceiver based on a silicon-photonics platform with a compact light engine that incorporates multiple optical-electrical modules and a switch device in a co-packaged optics assembly, utilizing a 3D multi-chip stacking integration with shorter interconnects and lower parasitic components to achieve high-speed opto-electrical data communication up to 51.2 Tbit/s.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If traditional 2D component placement is used, then device complexity is reduced, but board area increases and electrical losses from wire bonds increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional 2D planar component placement to 3D multi-chip stacking architecture. Multiple optical-electrical modules are vertically stacked and interconnected through through-silicon via (TSV) technology, enabling compact integration while reducing electrical loss by shortening interconnect paths between components.
2Area of stationary object
If traditional 2D component placement is used, then device complexity is reduced, but product size cannot be shrunk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs 3D multi-chip stacking to vertically integrate multiple optical-electrical modules, dramatically reducing the horizontal footprint and enabling product size shrinkage. The complexity is managed through standardized TSV interconnection processes and co-packaged optics architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functional modules (optical modules, electrical modules, switches) into a single co-packaged optics assembly. This merging of previously separate components into one integrated unit achieves compact form factor while maintaining functional independence through modular design.
3Ease of manufacture
If wire bonds are used for interconnection, then ease of manufacture is improved, but signal integrity deteriorates at high data rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional wire bond mechanical interconnection with through-silicon via (TSV) technology. TSV provides direct vertical electrical pathways through the substrate, eliminating the inductive effects and signal integrity issues associated with wire bonds at high data rates while maintaining manufacturability through established semiconductor processing techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical transceiver includes a silicon photonics substrate and multiple devices. The devices are configured to process optical signals propagating to and from the optical transceiver, and to perform at least one of an optical-to-electrical conversion of received optical signals to incoming electric signals and an electrical-to-optical conversion of outgoing electric signals to transmitted optical signals. The devices are each fabricated to include respectively a package substrate configured according to one of multiple different package substrate mounting technologies. Each package substrate among the multiple devices is mounted on the silicon photonics substrate according to mounting requirements of the respective package substrate mounting technology of that package substrate. At least two of the package substrates are mounted according to the mounting requirements of different package substrate mounting technologies.