WO2022174646A1 - Optical module and received optical power monitoring method - Google Patents

Abstract

In the optical module provided in the present disclosure, a silicon optical chip comprises: an optical attenuator, configured to transmit, to a photodetector, signal light inputted by external optical fibers; a photodetector, configured to receive the signal light passing through the attenuator and to output an optical current; the optical module further comprises: a transimpedance amplifier, having an input end connected to the silicon optical chip, and configured to receive the optical current and output a detection current by means of a detection current output end; a sampling circuit, having an input end connected to the detection current output end, and configured to convert the detection current into a detection voltage and output same by means of the output end; an attenuation controller, having a current output end connected to the optical attenuator to apply a current to the optical attenuator to cause the optical attenuator to adjust the optical power of the signal light transmitted to the photodetector; and an MCU, having an input end for receiving the detection voltage, and configured to output a control signal according to the detection voltage to control the attenuation controller to adjust the magnitude of the current applied to the optical attenuator. The optical module according to some embodiments enables the photodetector to receive signal light of a suitable optical power, and can accurately generate the received optical power of the optical module.

Description

An optical module and receiving optical power monitoring method

This disclosure claims the priority of the application number 202110192114.0 filed with the China Patent Office on February 20, 2021, and the patent title is "An Optical Module and a Method for Monitoring Received Optical Power", the entire contents of which are incorporated in this disclosure by reference.

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of optical communication, and in particular, to an optical module.

Background technique

With the development of new business and application models such as cloud computing, mobile Internet, and video, the development and progress of optical communication technology has become more and more important. In the optical communication technology, the optical module is a tool for realizing the mutual conversion of photoelectric signals, and it is one of the key components in the optical communication equipment. And with the rapid development of 5G networks, the optical modules at the core of optical communication have developed by leaps and bounds, resulting in various forms of optical modules, and the transmission rate of optical modules continues to increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure discloses an optical module, including: a circuit board, including a plurality of board layers; in the first aspect, the present disclosure provides an optical module, including: a circuit board; a silicon optical chip, and The circuit board is electrically connected to receive signal light input from an external optical fiber and output photocurrent; wherein, the silicon photonic chip includes: an optical attenuator and a photodetector; an output end of the optical attenuator is connected to the photoelectric a detector, which transmits the signal light input from an external optical fiber to the photodetector; the photodetector receives the signal light passing through the attenuator and outputs a photocurrent; the optical module further includes: a transimpedance amplifier, which is connected to The circuit board is electrically connected, and the input end is connected to the silicon photonic chip, which is used for receiving the photocurrent and outputting the detection current through the detection current output end; the sampling circuit, the input end is connected to the detection current output end, and is used for detecting the current The current is converted into a detection voltage and output through the output terminal; the attenuation controller, the current output terminal is connected to the optical attenuator, and is used for applying a current to the optical attenuator to make the optical attenuator adjust and transmit to the photodetection signal The optical power of the light; the MCU, the input terminal receives the detection voltage, and is used for outputting a control signal according to the detection voltage to control the attenuation controller to adjust the magnitude of the current applied to the optical attenuator.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for monitoring received optical power, the method comprising: receiving a detection voltage output by a sampling circuit to obtain monitoring data; comparing the monitoring data with a preset threshold; the preset threshold value, control the attenuation controller to output the working current to the optical attenuator, so that the monitoring data is equal to the preset threshold value; generate the received optical power of the optical module according to the preset threshold value and the output working current to the optical attenuator ; if the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, generating the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data.

Description of drawings

In order to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application more clearly, the accompanying drawings that need to be used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings.

FIG. 1 is a connection diagram of an optical communication system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of an optical network terminal according to some embodiments;

3 is a structural diagram of an optical module according to some embodiments;

4 is an exploded view of an optical module according to some embodiments;

5 is a schematic structural diagram of a circuit board in an optical module according to some embodiments;

6 is a schematic diagram of a circuit in an optical module according to some embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical attenuator according to some embodiments.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in some embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments provided by the present disclosure fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Unless the context otherwise requires, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprise" and its other forms such as the third person singular "comprises" and the present participle "comprising" are used It is interpreted as the meaning of openness and inclusion, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "example", "specific example" example)" or "some examples" and the like are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, material or characteristic related to the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The schematic representations of the above terms are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be included in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may expressly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

In describing some embodiments, the expressions "coupled" and "connected" and their derivatives may be used. For example, the term "connected" may be used in describing some embodiments to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. As another example, the term "coupled" may be used in describing some embodiments to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, the terms "coupled" or "communicatively coupled" may also mean that two or more components are not in direct contact with each other, yet still co-operate or interact with each other. The embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily limited by the content herein.

"At least one of A, B, and C" has the same meaning as "at least one of A, B, or C", and both include the following combinations of A, B, and C: A only, B only, C only, A and B , A and C, B and C, and A, B, and C.

"A and/or B" includes the following three combinations: A only, B only, and a combination of A and B.

The use of "adapted to" or "configured to" herein means open and inclusive language that does not preclude devices adapted or configured to perform additional tasks or steps.

As used herein, "about", "approximately" or "approximately" includes the stated value as well as the average value within an acceptable range of deviation from the specified value, as described by one of ordinary skill in the art Determined taking into account the measurement in question and the errors associated with the measurement of a particular quantity (ie, limitations of the measurement system).

In optical communication technology, light is used to carry the information to be transmitted, and the optical signal carrying the information is transmitted to information processing equipment such as computers through information transmission equipment such as optical fibers or optical waveguides to complete the transmission of information. Since optical signals have passive transmission characteristics when transmitted through optical fibers or optical waveguides, low-cost and low-loss information transmission can be achieved. In addition, the signals transmitted by information transmission equipment such as optical fibers or optical waveguides are optical signals, while the signals that can be recognized and processed by information processing equipment such as computers are electrical signals. To establish an information connection between them, it is necessary to realize the mutual conversion of electrical signals and optical signals.

The optical module realizes the mutual conversion function of the above-mentioned optical signal and electrical signal in the technical field of optical fiber communication. The optical module includes an optical port and an electrical port. The optical module realizes optical communication with information transmission equipment such as optical fibers or optical waveguides through the optical port, and realizes electrical connection with an optical network terminal (for example, an optical cat) through the electrical port. It is mainly used to realize power supply, I2C signal transmission, data signal transmission and grounding; optical network terminals transmit electrical signals to information processing equipment such as computers through network cables or wireless fidelity technology (Wi-Fi).

FIG. 1 is a connection diagram of an optical communication system according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1 , the optical communication system mainly includes a remote server 1000, a local information processing device 2000, an optical network terminal 100, an optical module 200, an optical fiber 101 and a network cable 103;

One end of the optical fiber 101 is connected to the remote server 1000 , and the other end is connected to the optical network terminal 100 through the optical module 200 . The optical fiber itself can support long-distance signal transmission, such as signal transmission of several kilometers (6 kilometers to 8 kilometers). On this basis, if repeaters are used, ultra-long distance transmission can theoretically be achieved. Therefore, in a common optical communication system, the distance between the remote server 1000 and the optical network terminal 100 can usually reach several kilometers, tens of kilometers or hundreds of kilometers.

One end of the network cable 103 is connected to the local information processing device 2000 , and the other end is connected to the optical network terminal 100 . The local information processing device 2000 may be any one or more of the following devices: a router, a switch, a computer, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a television, and the like.

The physical distance between the remote server 1000 and the optical network terminal 100 is greater than the physical distance between the local information processing device 2000 and the optical network terminal 100 . The connection between the local information processing device 2000 and the remote server 1000 is completed by the optical fiber 101 and the network cable 103 ; and the connection between the optical fiber 101 and the network cable 103 is completed by the optical module 200 and the optical network terminal 100 .

The optical module 200 includes an optical port and an electrical port. The optical port is configured to be connected to the optical fiber 101, so that the optical module 200 and the optical fiber 101 can establish a two-way optical signal connection; electrical signal connection. The optical module 200 realizes the mutual conversion of optical signals and electrical signals, so as to establish a connection between the optical fiber 101 and the optical network terminal 100 . For example, the optical signal from the optical fiber 101 is converted into an electrical signal by the optical module 200 and then input into the optical network terminal 100 , and the electrical signal from the optical network terminal 100 is converted into an optical signal by the optical module 200 and input into the optical fiber 101 .

The optical network terminal 100 includes a substantially rectangular housing, and an optical module interface 102 and a network cable interface 104 disposed on the housing. The optical module interface 102 is configured to access the optical module 200, so that the optical network terminal 100 and the optical module 200 can establish a bidirectional electrical signal connection; the network cable interface 104 is configured to access the network cable 103, so that the optical network terminal 100 and the network cable 103 are connected. Establish a two-way electrical signal connection. A connection is established between the optical module 200 and the network cable 103 through the optical network terminal 100 . For example, the optical network terminal 100 transmits the electrical signal from the optical module 200 to the network cable 103, and transmits the signal from the network cable 103 to the optical module 200. Therefore, the optical network terminal 100, as the host computer of the optical module 200, can monitor the optical module 200. work. In addition to the optical network terminal 100, the host computer of the optical module 200 may also include an optical line terminal (Optical Line Terminal, OLT) and the like.

A bidirectional signal transmission channel is established between the remote server 1000 and the local information processing device 2000 through the optical fiber 101 , the optical module 200 , the optical network terminal 100 and the network cable 103 .

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of an optical network terminal according to some embodiments. In order to clearly show the connection relationship between the optical module 200 and the optical network terminal 100 , FIG. 2 only shows the optical network terminal 100 related to the optical module 200 . structure. As shown in FIG. 2 , the optical network terminal 100 further includes a PCB circuit board 105 disposed in the housing, a cage 106 disposed on the surface of the PCB circuit board 105 , and an electrical connector disposed inside the cage 106 . The electrical connector is configured to be connected to the electrical port of the optical module 200 ; the heat sink 107 has protrusions such as fins that increase the heat dissipation area.

The optical module 200 is inserted into the cage 106 of the optical network terminal 100 , the optical module 200 is fixed by the cage 106 , and the heat generated by the optical module 200 is conducted to the cage 106 and then diffused through the heat sink 107 . After the optical module 200 is inserted into the cage 106 , the electrical port of the optical module 200 is connected to the electrical connector inside the cage 106 , so that the optical module 200 and the optical network terminal 100 establish a bidirectional electrical signal connection. In addition, the optical port of the optical module 200 is connected to the optical fiber 101 , so that the optical module 200 and the optical fiber 101 establish a bidirectional electrical signal connection.

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of an optical module according to some embodiments, and FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an optical module according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , the optical module 200 includes an upper casing 202 , a lower casing 201 , an unlocking part 203 , a circuit board 300 , a silicon photonic chip 400 , a light source 500 and an optical fiber socket 600 ;

The casing includes an upper casing 202 and a lower casing 201. The upper casing 202 is covered on the lower casing 201 to form the above casing with two openings 204 and 205; the outer contour of the casing generally presents a square body.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the lower casing 201 includes a bottom plate and two lower side plates located on both sides of the bottom plate and perpendicular to the bottom plate; the upper casing 202 includes a cover plate, and two sides of the cover plate are perpendicular to the cover plate. The two upper side panels are combined with the two side panels by the two side walls to realize that the upper casing 202 is covered on the lower casing 201 .

The direction of the connection between the two openings 204 and 205 may be consistent with the length direction of the optical module 200 , or may be inconsistent with the length direction of the optical module 200 . Illustratively, the opening 204 is located at the end of the light module 200 (the left end of FIG. 3 ), and the opening 205 is also located at the end of the light module 200 (the right end of FIG. 3 ). Alternatively, the opening 204 is located at the end of the optical module 200 , and the opening 205 is located at the side of the optical module 200 . The opening 204 is an electrical port, and the golden fingers of the circuit board 300 protrude from the electrical port 204 and are inserted into the host computer (such as the optical network terminal 100 ); The optical fiber 101 is connected to the optical transceiver device inside the optical module 200 .

The combination of the upper casing 202 and the lower casing 201 is adopted to facilitate the installation of the circuit board 300, optical transceivers and other devices into the casing, and the upper casing 202 and the lower casing 201 can form encapsulation protection for these devices. In addition, when assembling components such as the circuit board 300, it is convenient to deploy the positioning components, heat dissipation components and electromagnetic shielding components of these components, which is conducive to the implementation of automated production.

In some embodiments, the upper casing 202 and the lower casing 201 are generally made of metal material, which is beneficial to achieve electromagnetic shielding and heat dissipation.

In some embodiments, the optical module 200 further includes an unlocking component 203 located on the outer wall of the housing thereof, and the unlocking component 203 is configured to realize a fixed connection between the optical module 200 and the upper computer, or release the connection between the optical module 200 and the upper computer fixed connection.

For example, the unlocking components 203 are located on the outer walls of the two lower side panels of the lower casing 201 , and include engaging components matching with the cage of the upper computer (eg, the cage 106 of the optical network terminal 100 ). When the optical module 200 is inserted into the cage of the upper computer, the optical module 200 is fixed in the cage of the upper computer by the engaging part of the unlocking part 203; when the unlocking part 203 is pulled, the engaging part of the unlocking part 203 moves accordingly, thereby changing the The connection relationship between the engaging member and the host computer is used to release the engaging relationship between the optical module 200 and the host computer, so that the optical module 200 can be pulled out from the cage of the host computer.

The circuit board 300 includes circuit traces, electronic components and chips, and the electronic components and chips are connected together according to the circuit design through the circuit traces to realize functions such as power supply, electrical signal transmission, and grounding. The electronic components may include, for example, capacitors, resistors, triodes, and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor, MOSFET). The chip may include, for example, a Microcontroller Unit (MCU), a limiting amplifier (limiting amplifier), a clock and data recovery chip (Clock and Data Recovery, CDR), a power management chip, and a digital signal processing (Digital Signal Processing, DSP) chip .

The circuit board 300 is generally a rigid circuit board. Due to its relatively hard material, the rigid circuit board can also realize the bearing function. For example, the rigid circuit board can carry chips smoothly; the rigid circuit board can also be inserted into the electrical connector in the upper computer cage. .

The circuit board 300 further includes a gold finger formed on the end surface thereof, and the gold finger is composed of a plurality of pins which are independent of each other. The circuit board 300 is inserted into the cage 106 , and is electrically connected to the electrical connector in the cage 106 by gold fingers. The golden fingers can be arranged only on one side surface of the circuit board 300 (eg, the upper surface shown in FIG. 4 ), or can be arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board 300 , so as to meet the needs of a large number of pins. The golden finger is configured to establish an electrical connection with the upper computer to realize power supply, grounding, I2C signal transmission, data signal transmission, and the like. Of course, flexible circuit boards are also used in some optical modules. Flexible circuit boards are generally used in conjunction with rigid circuit boards as a supplement to rigid circuit boards.

The silicon photonics chip 400 is disposed on the circuit board 300 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 300. In some embodiments provided by the present disclosure, the connection is made by wire bonding; a plurality of conductive wires are connected between the periphery of the silicon photonics chip and the circuit board 300. connection, so the silicon photonics chip 400 is generally disposed on the surface of the circuit board 300 .

The optical connection between the silicon photonic chip 400 and the light source 500 can be realized by an optical fiber ribbon, and the silicon optical chip 400 receives the light from the light source 500 through the optical fiber ribbon, and then modulates the light to load a signal onto the light. The optical connection between the silicon optical chip 400 and the optical fiber socket 600 is realized by an optical fiber ribbon, and the optical fiber socket 600 realizes the optical connection with the external optical fiber of the optical module. The signal light modulated by the silicon photonics chip 400 is transmitted to the optical fiber socket 600 through the optical fiber ribbon, and is transmitted to the external optical fiber through the optical fiber socket 600; the signal light from the external optical fiber is transmitted to the optical fiber ribbon through the optical fiber socket 600, and is transmitted to the silicon photonics chip through the optical fiber ribbon. In 400; thereby realizing that the silicon photonic chip 400 outputs the signal light carrying data to the external optical fiber of the optical module, or receives the signal light carrying data from the external optical fiber of the optical module.

In the optical module according to some embodiments, an input optical port is provided on the silicon photonics chip 400, a photodetector is packaged in the silicon photonics chip 400, and the signal light input through the external optical fiber is transmitted to the silicon optical chip through the input optical port through the optical fiber ribbon In 400, the optical waveguide in the silicon optical chip 400 is transmitted to the photodetector, the photodetector receives the signal light and converts the received signal light into a current signal, and then the photodetector outputs the current signal and transmits it to the transimpedance amplifier. The transimpedance amplifier amplifies the current signal output by the photodetector and transmits it to the limiting amplifier, and the transimpedance amplifier outputs the detection current for the detection of the optical power received by the optical module. Usually, the output detection current of the transimpedance amplifier is converted into the detection voltage through the sampling circuit, and then the detection voltage is input to the MCU, and the MCU directly generates the received optical power of the optical module according to the obtained detection voltage and corresponding conversion for the upper computer to read. The optical module receives the report of the optical power. The received optical power of the optical module generated by the MCU is usually stored in the local memory. The transimpedance amplifier is electrically connected to the circuit board; in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transimpedance amplifier is disposed on the silicon photonics chip 400 and is electrically connected to the circuit board through the silicon photonics chip.

In order to prevent the signal light with excessive optical power from being transmitted to the photodetector to cause damage to the photodetector or to deteriorate the conversion quality of the signal light received by the photodetector, and to ensure that the optical power of the signal light transmitted to the photodetector is stable within a certain range, To enable the photodetector to work in an optimal state, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, an optical attenuator is also packaged in the silicon photonic chip 400; in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the optical attenuator is a tunable optical attenuator ( Variable Optical Attenuator, VOA). Then, when the signal light with excessive optical power is transmitted to the silicon optical chip 400 through the optical fiber ribbon and enters the silicon optical chip 400 through the input optical port of the silicon optical chip 400, the signal is first transmitted to the optical attenuator, attenuated by the optical attenuator, and then attenuated by the optical attenuator. It is transmitted to the photodetector, so that the optical power of the signal light received by the photodetector can be stabilized within a certain range.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical attenuator realizes the attenuation of the signal optical power by applying the working current; meanwhile, by controlling the magnitude of the applied working current, the optical attenuator can control the attenuation of the signal optical power. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a working current can be applied to the optical attenuator through the attenuation controller, and the MCU controls the attenuation controller so that the attenuation controller outputs a corresponding working current to be applied to the optical attenuator. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the MCU monitors the detection current output by the transimpedance amplifier and obtains monitoring data, and then controls the attenuation controller to output the corresponding working current to the optical attenuator according to the obtained monitoring data, thereby enabling the photodetector to receive the detected current. The optical power of the signal light can be stabilized within a certain range.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a circuit board in an optical module according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 5 , in the optical module according to some embodiments, an MCU 301 , a sampling circuit 303 and an attenuation controller 304 are further arranged on the circuit board 300 , a transimpedance amplifier 302 is arranged on the silicon optical chip 400 , and the sampling circuit 303 is connected to the MCU 301 and the Between the transimpedance amplifiers 302 , the attenuation controller 304 is connected between the MCU 301 and the silicon photonics chip 400 . The transimpedance amplifier 302 is connected to the silicon photonics chip 400, receives the photocurrent output by the silicon photonics chip 400, and outputs a detection current, which is used for monitoring the optical power received by the optical module; the detection current output end of the transimpedance amplifier 302 passes through the sampling circuit 303 is connected to the MCU301, and the sampling circuit 303 converts the detection current into a detection voltage and outputs it to the MCU301 through the output terminal; size.

6 is a schematic diagram of a circuit in an optical module according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 6 , in the optical module according to some embodiments, an optical attenuator 401 and a photodetector 402 are packaged in the silicon optical chip 400 , the input end of the optical attenuator 401 is connected to the input optical port of the silicon optical chip 400 , and the optical The output terminal of the attenuator 401 is connected to the photodetector 402 . The signal light input from the external optical fiber enters the silicon optical chip 400 through the input optical port, and is transmitted to the optical attenuator 401 through the optical waveguide in the silicon optical chip 400, and then transmitted to the photodetector 402 through the optical attenuator 401, and the photodetector 402 The signal light transmitted thereto is received and converted into photocurrent and the photocurrent is output.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the transimpedance amplifier 302 is connected to the silicon photonic chip 400 ; in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the input terminal of the transimpedance amplifier 302 is connected to the output terminal of the photodetector 402 . The transimpedance amplifier 302 is used for receiving the photocurrent output by the photodetector 402 , and the transimpedance amplifier 302 amplifies and outputs the received photocurrent. At the same time, the transimpedance amplifier 302 also outputs a detection current, which can be used for the photodetector 402 Detection of received optical power.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the detection current output end of the transimpedance amplifier 302 is connected to the input end of the sampling circuit 303 , the first output end of the sampling circuit 303 is grounded, the second output end of the sampling circuit 303 is connected to the MCU 301 , and the output end of the transimpedance amplifier 302 is connected to the MCU 301 . The detection current is converted into a detection voltage through the sampling circuit 303 , and the MCU 301 receives the detection voltage through the second output terminal of the sampling circuit 303 to acquire monitoring data. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 includes an analog-to-digital converter interface for detecting the input optical power, and the second output end of the sampling circuit 303 is connected to the analog-to-digital converter interface. The detection current output by the transimpedance amplifier 302 is converted into a voltage by the sampling circuit 303 . The MCU 301 obtains the voltage through the analog-to-digital converter interface and converts it into a digital signal, and the MCU 301 determines the received optical power of the photodetector 402 according to the digital signal. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 is provided with a received optical power conversion function for determining the photodetector 402 , and the MCU 301 obtains the received optical power of the photodetector 402 by inputting the converted digital signal into the received optical power conversion function ; Or a look-up table is set in the MCU 301, and the look-up table is searched according to the digital signal obtained by conversion to determine the received optical power of the photodetector 402 corresponding to the digital signal.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the attenuation controller 304 is connected between the MCU 301 and the optical attenuator 401; the current output end of the attenuation controller 304 is connected to the optical attenuator 401, the MCU301 outputs a control signal to the attenuation controller 304, and the attenuation controller 304 receives The obtained control signal outputs the corresponding working current to the optical attenuator 401, and then the optical attenuator 401 attenuates the optical power of the signal light input by the external fiber according to the magnitude of the work applied to it. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 adjusts the magnitude of the working current output by the attenuation controller 304 to the optical attenuator 401 according to the monitoring data obtained by monitoring. In addition, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 combines the attenuation controller 304 to output the working current to the optical attenuator 401 and the monitoring data obtained by monitoring to generate the received optical power of the optical module, which is read by the host computer to realize the reporting of the received optical power of the optical module.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sampling circuit 303 includes a sampling resistor, one end of the sampling resistor is connected to the detection current output end of the transimpedance amplifier 302, the other end of the sampling resistor is grounded, and the second output end of the sampling circuit 303 is located at one end of the sampling resistor and between the detection current output terminals of the transimpedance amplifier 302 . The detection current output by the transimpedance amplifier 302 is converted into a detection voltage by the sampling resistor and collected by the analog-to-digital converter interface of the MCU 301 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sampling resistor may include multiple resistors.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical attenuator according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7 , the inside of the optical attenuator 401 is an optical waveguide doped with P-type and N-type materials, and the signal light is transmitted to the optical attenuator 401 and passes through the optical attenuator 401 ; when the two sides of the optical attenuator 401 are energized, The concentration of P\N carriers inside the optical attenuator 401 changes according to the change of the energization current, so that the light transmitted to the optical attenuator can be attenuated to adjust the optical power of the light transmitted to the optical attenuator 401 .

In the optical module provided by the present disclosure, the MCU generates the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data obtained by monitoring and in combination with the working current on the optical attenuator. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the received optical power monitoring method provided by the present disclosure includes: receiving a detection voltage output by a sampling circuit to obtain monitoring data;

comparing the monitoring data with a preset threshold;

If the monitoring data is greater than the preset threshold, the attenuation controller is controlled to output a working current to the optical attenuator, so that the monitoring data is equal to the preset threshold; output work to the optical attenuator according to the preset threshold and The current generating optical module receives the optical power;

If the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the received optical power of the optical module is generated according to the monitoring data.

The size of the preset threshold is affected by the performance of the photodetector 402 , and the preset threshold is used to reflect that the photodetector 402 works in an optimal state, and can be selected according to experience. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be obtained through debugging, first giving a large optical power to the optical module, and then adjusting the working current of the optical attenuator 401 by controlling the attenuation controller 304 to test the bit error rate of the receiving end of the optical module, Select the received optical power of the photodetector 402 to be monitored when it reaches the optimal state, that is, the monitoring data obtained by the MCU 301 monitoring when the optical module reaches the optimal state, and then use the monitoring data when the optical module works in the optimal state as the pre-condition. Set the threshold.

The MCU301 compares the monitoring data obtained by monitoring with the preset threshold. When the monitoring data is greater than the preset threshold, the MCU301 controls the attenuation controller to output the working current to the optical attenuator, and the attenuation of the optical attenuator to which the working current is applied is to be transmitted to the photodetector 402 The optical power of the signal light, thereby making the monitoring data equal to the preset threshold. That is, the optical power of the signal light received by the photodetector 402 at the current moment is greater than the optical power in its optimal working state, and the signal light incident on the silicon photonic chip 400 needs to be attenuated by the optical attenuator 401 and then transmitted to the photodetector 402 to prevent At the next moment, the optical power of the signal light received by the photodetector 402 is equal to the optical power of the optimal working state, and then the monitoring data obtained by monitoring at the next moment is equal to the preset threshold.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the MCU301 generates the optical power received by the optical module. In some embodiments of the present disclosure: when the monitoring data is greater than the preset threshold, the MCU301 controls the attenuation controller to output the working current to the optical attenuator, so that the monitoring data equal to the preset threshold, and then generate the received optical power of the optical module according to the preset threshold and the operating current output to the optical attenuator, that is, the received optical power of the optical module generated by the MCU301 is equal to the monitored optical power received by the photodetector 402 plus the optical power The optical power attenuated by the attenuator 401.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the MCU 301 controls the attenuation controller 304 to stop outputting the working current to the optical attenuator 401, that is, the working current applied to the optical attenuator 401 is zero, Furthermore, the attenuation of the signal light incident to the silicon photonic chip 400 by the optical attenuator 401 is zero, so the received optical power of the optical module generated by the MCU 301 is equal to the optical power received by the monitored photodetector 402, that is, the MCU 301 generates the optical module to receive the optical power according to the monitoring data. Optical power.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 controls the attenuation controller 304 to output the working current to the optical attenuator 401 , including: the MCU 301 determines the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator 401 according to the monitoring data and controls the attenuation controller according to the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator 401 304 adjusts the working current output by the optical attenuator 401 to the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator 401 .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 is provided with a theoretical working ammeter of the optical attenuator 401 corresponding to the monitoring data. When the monitoring data is greater than a preset threshold, the MCU 301 searches for the theoretical working of the optical attenuator 401 according to the monitoring data. The ammeter is used to obtain the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator 401 corresponding to the monitoring data.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 reports the received optical power of the optical module according to the preset threshold and the operating current output to the optical attenuator, and the MCU 301 can set the preset threshold and the preset threshold to calibrate the optical power lookup table and optical power respectively. The look-up table of the working current and the attenuated optical power on the attenuator. When the received optical power of the optical module needs to be generated, the preset threshold calibrated optical power and attenuated optical power are obtained by looking up the corresponding look-up table, and the preset threshold calibrated optical power is calculated. and the sum of the attenuated optical power to generate the received optical power of the optical module.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 generates the received optical power of the optical module according to the preset threshold and the operating current output to the optical attenuator 401, including: according to the preset threshold and the calibrated The functional relationship of optical power, calculate the optical power after calibration;

Calculate the attenuation optical power according to the mapping relationship between the working current and the attenuation optical power on the optical attenuator 401;

The sum of the calibrated optical power and the attenuated optical power is used to generate the received optical power of the optical module.

By setting the functional relationship between the preset threshold and the calibrated optical power in the MCU 301 and the mapping relationship between the working current and the attenuated optical power on the optical attenuator 401, when it is necessary to report the received optical power of the optical module, the preset threshold is brought into the calibrated optical power. The functional relationship of power, calculate the optical power after calibration, that is, the received optical power of the photodetector 402; in addition, calculate the attenuation optical power by mapping the working current attenuation optical power on the optical attenuator 401; calculate the optical power and attenuation after calibration The sum of the optical powers generates the received optical power of the optical module.

In addition, the functional relationship between the monitoring data and the received optical power is set in the MCU 301 . Therefore, when the operating current applied to the optical attenuator 401 is zero, that is, the optical attenuator 401 does not attenuate the optical power of the input optical signal, the MCU 301 brings the monitoring data obtained by monitoring into the functional relationship of the received optical power, and calculates and generates the received optical power, Report the received optical power obtained by calculation as the received optical power of the optical module.

When the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the MCU 301 generates the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data, including: determining whether the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero;

If the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero, generating the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data;

If the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is not zero, the attenuation controller is controlled to stop the working current output to the optical attenuator, and the monitoring data is obtained again.

When the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, and it is determined that the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero, the MCU 301 generates the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data; when the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, However, it is determined that the working current output by the attenuation controller 304 to the optical attenuator 401 is not zero, then the MCU 301 controls the attenuation controller 304 to stop the working current output to the optical attenuator 401, re-acquires the monitoring data, and then compares the newly-obtained monitoring data with the preset Set the threshold. If the re-obtained monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the MCU 301 reports the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data, and if the re-obtained monitoring data is greater than the preset threshold, the MCU 301 controls the attenuation controller 304 to output the working current to the optical attenuator 401, so that The monitoring data is equal to the preset threshold, and then the received optical power of the optical module is generated according to the preset threshold and the operating current output to the optical attenuator 401 . When the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, it is determined that the operating current output by the attenuation controller 304 to the optical attenuator 401 is not zero, that is, the attenuation of the optical power of the input optical signal by the optical attenuator 401 is too large, so it needs to be re- The adjustment of the optical power attenuation of the optical signal by the optical attenuator 401 is adjusted to ensure that the attenuation of the input optical signal optical power by the optical attenuator 401 is appropriate. In this way, a high-power optical signal can be input to the optical module, so that the optical power of the optical signal received by the photodetector 402 is in the optimal working state of the photodetector 402 .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the monitoring data is greater than a preset threshold, the MCU 301 controls the attenuation controller to output a working current to the optical attenuator, including: the MCU 301 determines the optical attenuator according to the monitoring data the theoretical working current and determine whether the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero;

If the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero, the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is controlled to be the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator;

If the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is not zero, the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is controlled to increase to the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator.

In this way, when the MCU 301 outputs a control signal to the attenuation controller 304, the attenuation controller 304 can control whether the working current of the optical attenuator 401 is zero or not according to the current moment, which is helpful for quickly attenuating the optical power of the optical attenuator 401. The amount is adjusted to an appropriate range to ensure that the optical power of the optical signal received by the photodetector 402 is in the optimal working state of the photodetector 402 .

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the MCU 301 generates the received optical power of the optical module using hexadecimal notation. Therefore, when the MCU301 calculates the sum of the calibrated optical power and the attenuated optical power, it converts the sum of the calibrated optical power and the attenuated optical power to hexadecimal and then uses it as the received optical power of the optical module; and, according to the monitoring data and the received optical power After calculating the received optical power, the received optical power obtained by the calculation is converted into hexadecimal and used as the received optical power of the optical module.

According to the optical module of some embodiments, an optical attenuator 401 is set on the receiving optical path of the photodetector 402, and the MCU 301 controls the working current of the optical attenuator 401 by controlling the attenuation controller 304 according to the monitoring data obtained by monitoring, thereby achieving the control of optical attenuation. The optical power of the received signal light on the photodetector 402 is controlled by the optical device 401 on the attenuation of the signal light input by the external optical fiber, so that the photodetector 402 can receive the signal light with appropriate optical power. At the same time, in the optical module provided by the present disclosure, the MCU 301 generates the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data obtained by monitoring and the working current on the optical attenuator 401, so that the received optical power reported by the optical module can more realistically reflect the external optical fiber input. The optical power of the signal light can be used to monitor the optical power of the input signal light from the external optical fiber more accurately.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, but not to limit them; although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: it can still be Modifications are made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or some technical features thereof are equivalently replaced; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The above are only specific embodiments of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure, think of changes or replacements, should cover within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (10)

1. An optical module, characterized in that it includes:

   circuit board;

   a silicon photonic chip, electrically connected to the circuit board, for receiving signal light input from an external optical fiber and outputting photocurrent; wherein, the silicon photonics chip includes: an optical attenuator and a photodetector;

   the output end of the optical attenuator is connected to the photodetector, and transmits the signal light input from the external optical fiber to the photodetector;

   the photodetector, receiving the signal light passing through the attenuator and outputting a photocurrent;

   The optical module further includes:

   a transimpedance amplifier, which is electrically connected to the circuit board, and the input terminal is connected to the silicon photonics chip for receiving the photocurrent and outputting the detection current through the detection current output terminal;

   a sampling circuit, the input terminal is connected to the detection current output terminal, and is used for converting the detection current into a detection voltage and outputting through the output terminal;

   an attenuation controller, the current output end is connected to the optical attenuator, and is used for applying a current to the optical attenuator so that the optical attenuator adjusts the optical power transmitted to the photodetection signal light;

   The MCU, the input terminal receives the detection voltage, and is used for outputting a control signal according to the detection voltage to control the attenuation controller to adjust the magnitude of the current applied to the optical attenuator.
2. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the MCU further generates the received optical power of the optical module according to the detection voltage and the magnitude of the current applied by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator.
3. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein the sampling circuit comprises a sampling resistor, one end of the sampling resistor is connected to the detection current output end, and the other end of the sampling resistor is grounded, and the sampling resistor is used for It is used to convert the detection current into a detection voltage and output it through the output terminal.
4. A method for monitoring received optical power, characterized in that the method comprises:

   Receive the detection voltage output by the sampling circuit to obtain monitoring data;

   comparing the monitoring data with a preset threshold;

   If the monitoring data is greater than the preset threshold, the attenuation controller is controlled to output a working current to the optical attenuator, so that the monitoring data is equal to the preset threshold; output work to the optical attenuator according to the preset threshold and The current generating optical module receives the optical power;

   If the monitoring data is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the received optical power of the optical module is generated according to the monitoring data.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein generating the received optical power of the optical module according to a preset threshold and outputting an operating current to the optical attenuator, comprising:

   Calculate the calibrated optical power according to the functional relationship between the preset threshold and the calibrated optical power;

   Calculate the attenuated optical power according to the mapping relationship between the working current and the attenuated optical power on the optical attenuator;

   Calculate the sum of the calibrated optical power and the attenuated optical power to generate the received optical power of the optical module.
6. The method according to claim 4, wherein controlling the attenuation controller to output the working current to the optical attenuator comprises:

   The theoretical working current of the optical attenuator is determined according to the monitoring data, and the attenuation controller is controlled according to the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator to adjust the working current output by the optical attenuator to the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator current.
7. The method according to claim 4, wherein generating the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data comprises:

   According to the functional relationship between the monitoring data and the received optical power, the received optical power of the optical module is calculated and generated.
8. method according to claim 4, is characterized in that, according to described monitoring data, generate optical module to receive optical power, comprise:

   determining whether the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero;

   If the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero, generating the received optical power of the optical module according to the monitoring data;

   If the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is not zero, the attenuation controller is controlled to stop the working current output to the optical attenuator, and the monitoring data is obtained again.
9. The method according to claim 4, wherein controlling the attenuation controller to output the working current to the optical attenuator comprises:

   Determine the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator according to the monitoring data and determine whether the working current output by the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero;

   If the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is zero, the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is controlled to be the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator;

   If the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is not zero, the working current output from the attenuation controller to the optical attenuator is controlled to increase to the theoretical working current of the optical attenuator.
10. The method according to claim 5, wherein calculating the sum of the calibrated optical power and the attenuated optical power to generate the received optical power of the optical module, comprising:

    The sum of the calibrated optical power and the attenuated optical power is calculated, and the sum of the calibrated optical power and the attenuated optical power is converted into hexadecimal and used as the received optical power of the optical module.

Images