Abstract: An integrated circuit includes optical waveguides defined in a semiconductor layer, and uses removable optical taps to allow for in-process characterization and trimming. These optical waveguides may be trimmed during fabrication of the integrated circuit to improve performance. Note that the trimming may modify indexes of refraction of portions of the optical waveguides or may involve a more invasive process. Moreover, the trimming may exclude or may not involve the use of a polymer and/or the carrier wavelengths at a given temperature may be stable as a function of time. The trimming process may use removable optical taps for external feedback to determine the amount of change required. These optical taps may be formed either in the semiconductor layer or the cladding layer, and they may be disabled with negligible impact to device performance via alterations to the cladding layer after the completion of trimming.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes optical waveguides defined in a semiconductor layer, and uses removable optical taps to allow for in-process characterization and trimming. These optical waveguides may be trimmed during fabrication of the integrated circuit to improve performance. Note that the trimming may modify indexes of refraction of portions of the optical waveguides or may involve a more invasive process. Moreover, the trimming may exclude or may not involve the use of a polymer and/or the carrier wavelengths at a given temperature may be stable as a function of time. The trimming process may use removable optical taps for external feedback to determine the amount of change required. These optical taps may be formed either in the semiconductor layer or the cladding layer, and they may be disabled with negligible impact to device performance via alterations to the cladding layer after the completion of trimming.

Abstract: A chip package includes an integrated circuit and an optical integrated circuit (such as a hybrid integrated circuit) with an optical source and/or an optical receiver. The integrated circuit and the optical integrated circuit may be proximate to each other on opposite sides of an interposer in the chip package. Moreover, the integrated circuit may include a driver circuit of electrical signals for the optical source and/or a receiver circuit of electrical signals from the optical receiver. Furthermore, the optical integrated circuit may be positioned in a hole or an etch pit in a substrate, and an alignment feature may mechanically couple the substrate to an optical-fiber assembly, so that the optical-fiber assembly is positioned relative to the interposer and the optical integrated circuit. In particular, the optical-fiber assembly may partially overlap the interposer, so that optical signals are provided and/or received from the optical integrated circuit through the interposer.

Abstract: When an unsafe port with a loss of signal is detected, a transceiver may enable one laser in a group of lasers associated with the unsafe port and may disable the remaining lasers. Then, the transceiver may instruct a transmitter associated with the one laser to transmit an optical signal on the unsafe port using a reduced transmit power that is less than a threshold value associated with the Class 1 conditions and at a different time than enabled lasers in other groups of lasers. Alternatively, for a safe port on which valid communication is received, the transceiver may enable lasers in a group of lasers associated with the safe port. Then, the transceiver may instruct transmitters associated with the lasers in this group of lasers to transmit optical signals on the safe port using a normal transmit power for the lasers that is greater than the threshold value.

Abstract: When an unsafe port with a loss of signal is detected, a transceiver may enable one laser in a group of lasers associated with the unsafe port and may disable the remaining lasers. Then, the transceiver may instruct a transmitter associated with the one laser to transmit an optical signal on the unsafe port using a reduced transmit power that is less than a threshold value associated with the Class 1 conditions and at a different time than enabled lasers in other groups of lasers. Alternatively, for a safe port on which valid communication is received, the transceiver may enable lasers in a group of lasers associated with the safe port. Then, the transceiver may instruct transmitters associated with the lasers in this group of lasers to transmit optical signals on the safe port using a normal transmit power for the lasers that is greater than the threshold value.

Abstract: A chip package includes an integrated circuit and an optical integrated circuit (such as a hybrid integrated circuit) with an optical source and/or an optical receiver. The integrated circuit and the optical integrated circuit may be proximate to each other on opposite sides of an interposer in the chip package. Moreover, the integrated circuit may include a driver circuit of electrical signals for the optical source and/or a receiver circuit of electrical signals from the optical receiver. Furthermore, the optical integrated circuit may be positioned in a hole or an etch pit in a substrate, and an alignment feature may mechanically couple the substrate to an optical-fiber assembly, so that the optical-fiber assembly is positioned relative to the interposer and the optical integrated circuit. In particular, the optical-fiber assembly may partially overlap the interposer, so that optical signals are provided and/or received from the optical integrated circuit through the interposer.