Optical link architecture based on wireline equalization techniques

Abstract

A high data rate, high sensitivity, low power optical link using low-bandwidth components and low-bandwidth E/O drivers and receivers and method of building same. The method is based on the idea of making the optical part of the link look like a bandwidth limited lossy electrical channel, so that the powerful equalization methods used in the wireline electrical links can be applied to recover the transmitted data in a situation with low bandwidth and/or high loss and strong inter-symbol interference. Linear and non-linear optical channel components, E/O drivers and receivers can benefit from the apparatus and the methods of the invention.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A system for transmitting and receiving an optical signal via an optical carrier, comprising:
 an optical modulator configured for receiving an electrical signal at a target data rate, and including: a modulator optical output port in communication with the optical carrier, and an optical modulator electrical input port; and   a Serializer/Deserializer transmitter (SerDes TX), configured for transmitting an optical signal based on the electrical signal;   an optical demodulator configured for receiving the optical signal at the target data rate, but only configured to operate at a lower data rate of lower than 0.75 of the target data rate, thereby generating inter-symbol interference, and including: a demodulator optical input port in communication with the optical carrier, and an optical demodulator electrical output port; and   a Serializer/Deserializer receiver (SerDes RX), configured for compensating for the inter-symbol interference from the optical demodulator, and generating an electric signal corresponding to the target data rate, including: a SerDes RX electrical input port in communication with the optical demodulator electrical output port, and a SerDes RX electrical output port.   
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the optical modulator is configured for receiving the optical signal at the target data rate, but only configured for operating at a data rate lower than 0.75 of the target data rate, thereby generating additional inter-symbol interference; and
 wherein the SerDes RX is also configured for compensating for the additional inter-symbol interference from the optical modulator.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the optical modulator is configured for receiving the optical signal at the target data rate, but only configured for operating at a data rate lower than 0.75 of the target data rate, thereby generating additional inter-symbol interference; and
 wherein the SerDes TX is configured for compensating for the additional inter-symbol interference from the optical modulator.   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the optical modulator comprises a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, a laser, and a silicon photonic chip. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the optical demodulator comprises a photonic silicon chip, a photodetector, and a transimpedance amplifier. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the SerDes TX comprises at least one of a decision-feedback equalizer, a continuous time linear equalizer, a feed-forward equalizer, and a partial response maximum likelihood equalizer. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the SerDes RX comprises at least one of a decision-feedback equalizer, a continuous time linear equalizer, a feed-forward equalizer, and a partial response maximum likelihood equalizer. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the SerDes TX and the SerDes RX each comprises a feed-forward equalizer. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein each of the optical modulator and optical demodulator includes a linear transfer function. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein each of the SerDes RX and the SerDes TX is configured to operate using pulse amplitude modulation. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein said pulse amplitude modulation is a selected one of PAM-4 and PAM-N. 
     
     
         36 . A method of transmitting and receiving an optical signal via an optical carrier, comprising the steps of:
 modulating the optical signal using an optical modulator, the optical modulator configured for receiving an electrical signal at a target data rate, and including: a modulator optical output port optically connected to the optical carrier, and a modulator electrical input port; and   generating an output optical signal using a Serializer/Deserializer transmitter (SerDes TX) configured for generating the optical signal, and comprising: a SerDes TX electrical input port; and a SerDes TX electrical output port in communication with the modulator electrical input port;   transmitting the output optical signal to the optical carrier;   receiving the optical signal from the optical carrier;   demodulating the optical signal using an optical demodulator, the optical demodulator configured for receiving the optical signal at the target data rate, but only configured to operate at a lower data rate of lower than 0.75 of the target data rate, thereby generating inter-symbol interference, and including: a demodulator optical input port connected to the optical carrier, and a demodulator electrical output port; and   generating an output electrical signal using a Serializer/Deserializer receiver (SerDes RX) configured for compensating for the inter-symbol interference from the optical demodulator and generating an electric signal corresponding to the target data rate, and comprising: a SerDes RX electrical input port in communication with the demodulator electrical output port; and a SerDes RX electrical output port.   
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein the optical modulator is configured for receiving the optical signal at the target data rate, but only configured for operating at a data rate of lower than 0.75 of the target data rate, thereby generating additional inter-symbol interference; and
 wherein the SerDes RX is also configured for compensating for the additional inter-symbol interference from the optical modulator.   
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein the optical modulator is configured for receiving the optical signal at the target data rate, but only configured for operating at a data rate of lower than 0.75 of the target data rate, thereby generating additional inter-symbol interference; and
 wherein the SerDes TX is configured for compensating for the additional inter-symbol interference from the optical modulator.   
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein said optical modulator comprises a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, a laser, and a silicon photonic chip. 
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein the optical demodulator comprises a photonic silicon chip, a photodetector, and a transimpedance amplifier. 
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein the SerDes TX comprises at least one of a decision-feedback equalizer, a continuous time linear equalizer, a feed-forward equalizer, and a partial response maximum likelihood equalizer. 
     
     
         42 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein the SerDes RX comprises at least one of a decision-feedback equalizer, a continuous time linear equalizer, a feed-forward equalizer, and a partial response maximum likelihood equalizer. 
     
     
         43 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein each of the SerDes TX and SerDes RX comprises a feed-forward equalizer. 
     
     
         44 . The method according to  claim 36 , wherein the optical modulator and the optical demodulator each include a linear transfer function.