A single monolithic transceiver chip for handling optical to electrical to
optical conversion of optical WDM signals in an optical transmission
network which has an optical WDM signal input for reception of a WDM
signal and an optical WDM signal output for transmission of a WDM signal
and a plurality of electrical signal outputs and a plurality of
electrical signal inputs. The chip further comprises an integrated
decombiner coupled to the optical signal input that separates the WDM
signal into a plurality of separate optical channel signals, an
integrated array of photodetectors that each receives a respective
optical channel signal and that converts the optical channel signal into
an electrical signal and that provides the converted electrical signals
to the electrical signal outputs of the transceiver chip. The transceiver
chip also includes an integrated array of laser sources that provide a
plurality of optical outputs at different wavelengths, an integrated
array of electro-optic modulators that each modulate a respective optical
output from a laser source with an electrical signal received from the
electrical signal inputs of the chip to provide a plurality of modulated
optical channel signals and an integrated optical combiner that receives
the modulated optical channel signals and combines them into a single WDM
signal that is provided at the optical WDM signal output.