Abstract

The demand for high-speed and low-cost local area networks (LANs) is rapidly increasing. Standardization of the Ethernet with a bit rate of 10 Gb/s (10 GbE) using optical fiber has been carried out by IEEE, ¹ and optical modules for the 10 GbE have been extensively developed. Of the schemes that have been standardized for 10 GbE, wide wavelength division multiplexing (WWDM) is achieved by four channels with a bit rate of 3.125 Gb/s at a wavelength in the 1300-nm band. It, thus, needs no expensive electronics with a bit rate as high as 10 Gb/s. Furthermore, from the view-point of system application, WWDM can support not only single-mode fiber (SMF) but also the already-installed multi-mode fiber (MMF) for the 300-m link length typically required in a building LAN.² In a WWDM transceiver, the optical multiplexing and demultiplexing functions should be integrated. Accordingly, in a prototype module, a multiplexer or a demul-tiplexer, an optical fiber and optical devices such as laser diodes (LDs) or photodiodes (PDs) have been aligned with each other by using precise assembly methods.² However, its assembling process is very complicated and thus costly. Therefore, the cost must be reduced through breakthrough technologies before such WWDM modules can be mass produced.

© 2002 Optical Society of America