Patent ID: 7228022

Claim:
An optical transceiver, comprising: an integrated optical bench comprising of a waveguide on a substrate; a thermal management system comprising; a thermistor and a thermoelectric cooler (TEC), wherein said thermistor is coupled to said thermoelectric cooler, wherein said thermoelectric cooler is coupled to said optical bench for thermal management of said transceiver; a light source, wherein said light source is coupled to said optical bench; a system of transceiver module waveguides, said waveguides are incorporated into a top layer of said optical bench, said waveguides are patterned into said optical bench utilizing a combination of specific optical waveguide layers; a waveguide coupler having at least three ports, a output port, a detector port and a light source port, said coupler is incorporated into said top layer of said optical bench, said coupler is patterned into said optical bench utilizing a combination of specific optical waveguide layers; wherein said output port is coupled to said waveguide coupler and a fiber, wherein said fiber propagates an optical signal, wherein said optical signal propagates from said fiber into said output port and optical signal is propagated into said waveguide coupler and through said detector port and into a detector; wherein said detector is coupled to said optical bench, wherein said detector converts optical signal into electrical signal; a pre-amplifier, wherein said detector is coupled to said system of transceiver module waveguides and said pre-amplifier; and wherein said light source produces light having a continuous wavelength distribution that propagates into said channel of said waveguide and into said light source port of said waveguide coupler and into said single output port, wherein said light propagates from said output port to said fiber, wherein said optical signal propagating from said fiber, into said output port and propagates into said waveguide coupler and into said waveguide, wherein said optical signal propagates through said detector port and into said detector, wherein said optical signal is converted into said electrical signal and into said pre-amplifier before leaving said polymer integrated optical transceiver.