Laser-shared coherent transceivers and methods

Abstract

An optical communication system comprises a plurality of linked single-wavelength coherent optical transceivers configured to communicate via short-reach data-center links at a common reference wavelength, each transceiver including a single single-wavelength laser source that is used to produce a source beam at a source beam wavelength, the source beam being used to produce transmit beams sent by the transceiver and for mixing with one or more receive beams received by the transceiver; wherein each of the transceivers includes a thermo-electric cooler configured to control a temperature of the single-wavelength laser source around a temperature setpoint that locks the source beam wavelength to the common reference wavelength; wherein each transceiver includes a wavelength deviation detector configured to detect a wavelength deviation between the source beam wavelength and the wavelength or wavelengths of the one or more receive beams or between the source beam wavelength and the common reference wavelength, wherein the wavelength deviation detector is configured to detect a threshold amount of wavelength deviation that is indicative that the single-wavelength laser source is problematic or a single-wavelength laser source of a separate transceiver coupled to send the one or more receive beams is problematic, wherein each transceiver is configured to indicate the wavelength deviation or problematic characteristic in order to identify problematic laser sources and thereby prevent the linked network of transceivers from communicating at a linked network wavelength that is marginal or out-of-range in relation to the common reference wavelength.