Parallel optical interconnection for uncoded data transmission with 1 Gb/s-per-channel capacity, high dynamic range, and low power consumption

The design, realization, and characterization of a multichannel dc-coupled ECL-voltage compatible parallel optical interconnection with a bit rate of up to 1 Gb/s-per-channel is reported. The transmitter module consists of an array of laser diodes with low threshold currents and the 50 Ω matching network, the receiver module of a photo diode array and an amplifier array. All the opto-electronic and electronic components are fabricated as arrays with a pitch of 250 μm. The total power consumption is 110 mW per channel, For a BER <10¹⁴ the dynamic range is 15 dB for a bit rate per channel of 200 Mb/s, 13 dB for 630 Mb/s, and 8 dB for 1 Gb/s. The channel crosstalk is below -48 dB (electrical). The size of the opto-electronic parts (12 channels, without electrical connectors) is only 10 mm (length)×5 mm (width)×4 mm (height)