Patent ID: 7715669
Filing Date: 2010-05-11
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A method for designing a fiber optic link intended to have a particular data rate, the link being designed to include at least first and second transceivers optically coupled to opposite ends of first and second optical fibers, respectively, the method comprising: selecting a type of optical fiber to be used in the link based at least in part on whether a fiber of a particular type has an optical bandwidth that is sufficient for the intended particular data rate of the fiber optic link to ensure that the fiber itself will not be a limiting factor on the data rate of the link; determining a length of the selected fiber type to be used as the fibers to which the transceivers will be coupled based at least in part on an effective modal bandwidth of the selected fiber type and on said particular data rate; and constructing first and second transmitters and first and second receivers for the first and second transceivers, respectively, wherein as part of constructing at least the first transmitter, a type of laser to be used in at least the first transmitter is selected based at least in part on whether a type of laser has a sufficiently low relative intensity noise (RIN), at least the first transmitter being constructed to include a laser of the selected laser type and a laser driver for delivering a drive signal to the laser of the selected laser type, wherein the particular data rate intended for the fiber optic link is higher than a data rate specified for the laser of the selected laser type that is included in at least the first transmitter.