CN-121995589-A - Active electro-optic cable assembly for high density data transmission system

Abstract

Active electro-optic cable assemblies for high density data transmission systems are provided. The active electrical-optical cable assembly may include a multi-channel copper cable array assembly connected to a small form factor connector at the processing unit. At the end of the copper cable array, an electro-optical assembly may be used to convert the electrical signal to an optical signal. The optical signal may be coupled to an optical fiber via an optical fiber connector. The optical fibers may terminate in a multi-fiber push-in connector for pluggable or pigtail connections.

Inventors

• CHEN YONGKAI
• Anna Tatar Chak
• STEPHEN NELSON

Assignees

• 贰陆特拉华股份有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20251107

Priority Date

20251104

Claims (20)

1. 1. A system, comprising: one or more active electrical-optical cable assemblies, wherein each active electrical-optical cable assembly comprises: A small form factor connector configured to engage the processing unit; a multi-channel cable configured to carry a plurality of electrical signals, and An electro-optical assembly configured to convert the plurality of electrical signals into optical signals; Wherein one end of the multichannel cable is connected to the small form factor connector and the other end is connected to the electro-optical component, and Wherein the electro-optical component is connected to an optical fiber for coupling the optical signal to the optical fiber.
2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-channel cable comprises a multi-channel copper cable array.
3. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein each active electro-optic cable assembly further comprises an optical fiber connector configured to connect the electro-optic assembly to the optical fiber.
4. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the electro-optic assembly is connected to the optical fiber using a parallel optical configuration.
5. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electro-optical component is connected to the optical fiber using a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) optical configuration.
6. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises at least a first active electro-optic cable assembly and a second active electro-optic cable assembly, Wherein the electro-optical components of the first active electro-optical cable assembly are connected to the optical fibers using a parallel optical configuration, and Wherein the electro-optical components in the second active electro-optical cable assembly are connected to the optical fibers using a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) optical configuration.
7. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical fibers terminate in a multi-fiber push-in (MPO) connector.
8. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber comprises at least one of a Single Mode (SM) optical fiber, a multimode (MM) optical fiber, a MM fiber bundle, and a multicore optical fiber.
9. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electro-optical component comprises one or more of a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL), an indium phosphide (InP) device, and a silicon photon (SiP) element.
10. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the electro-optic assembly comprises one or more integrated lasers.
11. 11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a substrate, and wherein the processing unit and the small form factor connector are disposed on the substrate.
12. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is disposed on one side of the substrate, and wherein the small form factor connector is disposed on the same side of the substrate and beside or near the processing unit.
13. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is disposed on one side of the substrate, and wherein the small form factor connector is disposed on an opposite side of the substrate.
14. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the small form factor connector extends below the processing unit.
15. 15. The system of claim 1, wherein one or both of the electro-optical component and a fiber optic connector that engages the electro-optical component are configured to utilize an electro-optic (E/O) array having a two-dimensional (2D) layout.
16. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the two-dimensional (2D) layout comprises one of a 2D aligned rectangular layout, a 2D staggered rectangular layout, and a 2D staggered circular (or hexagonal) layout.
17. 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the small form factor connector comprises a pluggable electrical connector configured to removably engage the processing unit.
18. 18. The system of claim 1, wherein the small form factor connector comprises an electrical connector configured to engage the multichannel cable by clamping down.
19. 19. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises a graphics processing unit GPU or an application specific integrated circuit ASIC.
20. 20. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a co-packaged optics (CPO) system or a near-packaged optics (NPO) system.

Description

Active electro-optic cable assembly for high density data transmission system Cross Reference to Related Applications This patent application claims priority and benefit from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/717,500, filed at 7 of 11 of 2025. The above-mentioned application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field Aspects of the present disclosure relate to solutions related to optical communications. More particularly, certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for implementing and utilizing active electro-optic cable assemblies of high density data transmission systems. Background Limitations and disadvantages of conventional solutions for processing optical signals, and in particular, cable assemblies used in data transmission systems, will become apparent to one of skill in the art through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. Disclosure of Invention A system and method for an active electro-optic cable assembly for a high density data transmission system, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of illustrated embodiments thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. Drawings Fig. 1 illustrates an example active electro-optic cable assembly having optical fibers in a parallel optical configuration, according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates an example active electro-optic cable assembly using optical fibers in a Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) optical configuration, according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 illustrates an example active electro-optic cable assembly using both a parallel optical configuration and a WDM optical configuration in accordance with various example embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 4 illustrates an example active electrical-optical cable assembly using a pluggable 2D connector plugged on top of a substrate, in accordance with various example embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 illustrates an example active electrical-optical cable assembly using a pluggable 2D connector inserted on the bottom of a substrate, in accordance with various example embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary active electrical-optical cable assembly using a replaceable pluggable 2D connector inserted on the bottom of a substrate, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates different example connector and electro-optic (E/O) array layouts according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Description The present disclosure relates to the field of optical communications and high-speed data transmission. In particular, the solutions based on the present disclosure relate to new and improved components for high-speed data transmission systems. In this regard, current systems and methods for high-speed data transmission (e.g., at a data center) may use transceivers to convert electrical signals to optical signals. However, current transceivers and their use may have some limitations and/or pose some challenges. For example, current methods increase latency, power consumption, and complexity because these transceivers require power-consuming retimers and Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) to manage signal integrity and transmission speed. Emerging solutions, such as co-packaged optics (CPO) and near-packaged optics (NPO), attempt to address these limitations and/or challenges by integrating optical components more tightly with processing components, such as Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) or Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), to increase bandwidth. However, such CPO and NPO systems introduce new constraints. For example, CPO and NPO systems may operate in thermally demanding environments that place a considerable burden on the optical components, thereby reducing reliability and performance. In addition, CPO and NPO designs may require high-speed electrical vias in the substrate, increasing the substantial complexity of the integration process and increasing production costs. The present disclosure relates to improving high-speed data transmission systems, and in particular, by providing new designs for transceivers for facilitating and/or supporting high-speed data transmission that overcome at least some of the limitations and/or challenges associated with current designs. In particular, in various embodiments based on the present disclosure, active electrical-optical cable assemblies are provided that overcome these limitations and/or challenges and are configured