A bi-directional transceiver PIC for ping-pong local loop configurations operating at 1.3-μm wavelength

We propose and demonstrate a simple, potentially low-cost, photonic integrated circuit that can operate as a transceiver in a ping-pong optical data-link configuration. The device is designed for uncooled operation, with a gain section, a detector, and a beam expander inside a Fabry-Perot cavity. The detector has a 1.4 μm quaternary layer with a broad spectral responsivity range extending to 33 nm higher than the lasing wavelength of the device. The transmitter can provide 8 dBm inside a single-mode fiber, and the beam expander relaxes the alignment tolerance to a single-mode fiber.