The P-VixeLink/sup TM/ multichannel optical interconnect

The design and characterization of the P-VixeLink multichannel optical data link is described. The packaging of the PVL-4, a 4-channel, 1.25 Gb/s/channel optical data link is presented. The PVL-4 is a compactly packaged, low-power, simplex, short wavelength laser-based multi-fiber optic link, optimized for Gb/s operation in "ganged serial" applications. It employs a monolithic 840 nm Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) array source and a GaAs array detector-amplifier. Additional features include: independent ac-coupled channels, differential digital PECL electrical interfaces and a pigtailed, MTP connector-terminated, multimode fiber ribbon optical interface. The optical output of each PVL-4 channel is compatible with short wavelength laser Fibre-Channel (FC), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and forecast Gb/s Ethernet standards.