Photonic Integrated Circuit Based Multi-Channel WDM Transceiver for Satellite Communications

In this project Infinera will research and develop a lightweight, low power dissipation, high output power, miniature multi-channel WDM optical transceiver module based on revolutionary new Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), integrated with high-performance microwave components. The high integration level of monolithic PICs, coupled with high-performance mixed-signal broadband microwave ICs and advanced packaging technologies, provide an order of magnitude reduction in weight, power consumption, size and cost compared to alternate approaches. The transceiver is optimized for satellite communications systems, meeting optical performance as well as environmental and reliability requirements for space based modules. Applications include satellite crosslinks and downlinks where erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) booster and preamplifiers provide the additional link budget, and multi-channel intra-satellite communications without the need for external optical amplification. The fully integrated transceiver provides multiple independent WDM channels, supporting a very broad range of data rates independently on each channel, increasing the available capacity on next generation satellite optical communication links.