Multi-channel transmitter optical subassembly (tosa) with an optical coupling receptacle providing an off-center fiber

Abstract

A multi-channel transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) with an off-center fiber in an optical coupling is disclosed, and can provide passive compensation for beam displacement introduced by optical isolators. The optical coupling receptacle can include an optical isolator configured to receive a focused light beam from a focus lens within the TOSA. The optical coupling receptacle may be offset such that a center line of the focused light beam entering the optical isolator is offset from a center line of a fiber within optical coupling receptacle. Thus the optical isolator receives the focused light beam from the focus lens and introduces beam displacement such that an optical signal is launched generally along a center line of the fiber. Thus the expected beam displacement introduced by the optical isolator is eliminated or otherwise mitigated by the offset between a center line of the fiber and a center position of the focus lens.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multi-channel transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) including a plurality of lasers, the TOSA comprising:
 a housing including a plurality of sidewalls, the plurality of sidewalls forming a compartment defined by an inner surface therein, the compartment including a light path, the light path being optically coupled to each of the plurality of lasers and extending laterally from a first end to a second end of the housing along a first major axis;   a focus lens disposed at the second end of the housing configured to receive at least a portion of light emitted by the plurality of lasers via the light path and to output a focused light beam; and   an optical coupling receptacle fixedly attached to the second end of the housing and configured to couple the light path to a fiber, the optical coupling receptacle including an optical isolator configured to receive the focused light beam and launch the focused light beam in a forward direction into the fiber while reducing backreflection,   wherein a center line of the fiber is offset from a center of the focus lens, and wherein the offset passively compensates for beam displacement introduced by the optical isolator such that the focused light beam is launched generally into a center of the fiber.   
     
     
         2 . The multi-channel TOSA of  claim 1 , wherein the offset between the center line of the fiber and the center of the focus lens is about 50 microns. 
     
     
         3 . The multi-channel TOSA of  claim 1 , wherein the offset between the center line of the fiber and the center of the focus lens is at least 10 microns. 
     
     
         4 . The multi-channel TOSA of  claim 1 , wherein the offset between the center line of the fiber and the center of the focus lens is based at least in part on a physical position of the optical coupling receptacle relative to the position of the focus lens. 
     
     
         5 . The multi-channel TOSA of  claim 4 , wherein the optical isolator is angled in the optical coupling receptacle at about 8 degrees relative to a center line of the focused light beam. 
     
     
         6 . The multi-channel TOSA of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of lasers comprise TO can laser packages. 
     
     
         7 . The multi-channel TOSA of  claim 6 , further comprising filters aligned with the TO can laser packages to pass and reflect laser light at associated channel wavelengths. 
     
     
         8 . The multi-channel TOSA of  claim 1 , wherein the optical coupling receptacle is configured to optically couple a signal having multiple different channel wavelengths to a transmit optical fiber. 
     
     
         9 . An optical transceiver module comprising:
 a transceiver housing;   a multi-channel transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) having a plurality of transistor outline (TO) can laser packages fixedly attached thereto and located in the transceiver housing for transmitting optical signals at different channel wavelengths, the TOSA comprising:
 a housing including a plurality of sidewalls, the plurality of sidewalls forming a compartment defined by an inner surface therein, the compartment including a light path, the light path being optically coupled to each of the plurality of TO can laser packages and extending laterally from a first end to a second end of the housing along a first major axis; 
 a focus lens disposed at the second end of the housing configured to receive at least a portion of light emitted by the plurality of lasers via the light path and to output a focused light beam; and 
 an optical coupling receptacle fixedly attached to the second end of the housing and configured to couple the light path to a fiber, the optical coupling receptacle including an optical isolator configured to receive the focused light beam and launch the focused light beam in a forward direction into the fiber while reducing backreflection, 
 wherein a center line of the fiber is offset from a center of the focus lens, and wherein the offset passively compensates for beam displacement introduced by the optical isolator such that the focused light beam is launched generally into a center of the fiber; 
   a multi-channel receiver optical assembly (ROSA) located in the transceiver housing for receiving optical signals at different channel wavelengths.   
     
     
         10 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the offset between the center line of the fiber and the center of the focus lens is about 50 microns. 
     
     
         11 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the offset between the center line of the fiber and the center of the focus lens is at least 10 microns. 
     
     
         12 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the offset between the center line of the fiber and the center of the focus lens of the is based at least in part on a physical position of the optical coupling receptacle relative to the focus lens. 
     
     
         13 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 12 , wherein the optical isolator is angled at about 8 degrees relative to a center line of the focused light beam. 
     
     
         14 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of TO can laser packages comprise at least four TO can laser packages. 
     
     
         15 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the multi-channel TOSA includes integrated multiplexing optics configured to launch an optical signal into a transmit fiber, the optical signal having multiple different channel wavelengths. 
     
     
         16 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 15 , wherein the integrated multiplexing optics provide course wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM). 
     
     
         17 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 15 , wherein the integrated multiplexing optics include filters aligned with respective ones of the TO can laser packages to pass and reflect laser light at associated channel wavelengths. 
     
     
         18 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the optical coupling receptacle is fixedly attached to a sidewall opening at an end of the housing of the multi-channel TOSA. 
     
     
         19 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the optical isolator comprises a plurality of isolator chips in series. 
     
     
         20 . The optical transceiver module of  claim 9 , wherein the optical transceiver is a Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) transceiver module and the multi-channel TOSA is configured to transmit at four different channel wavelengths at transmission rates of at least about 10 Gbps per channel.