Use of optical `feedthrough´ transceivers for bidirectional transmission systems

Optical fibre is rapidly becoming the preferred transmission medium for both telecommunication and data communication networks. However, the deployment of optical systems in high-density local-area networks can be enhanced by the use of low-cost architectures and components. Bidirectional networks, in which send and receive signals are carried simultaneously on a single fibre, offer the possibility of reduced fibre costs. However, to fully exploit this technique it will be necessary to employ transceiver modules consisting of an optical transmitter and receiver colocated in the same package. The authors describe a low-cost optical transceiver module that is capable of supporting full duplex transmission on singlemode optical fibre