Industry underestimating 25 Gigabit parallel optics challenge

Ten Gigabit-based parallel optics is set to dominate the marketplace for several years to come. So claims datacom module specialist, Avago Technologies. 

"One customer told us it has to keep the interface speed below 20Gbps due to the cost of the SerDes"

Sharon Hall, Avago 

"People are underestimating what is going to be involved in doing 25 Gigabit [channels]," says Sharon Hall, product line manager for embedded optics at Avago Technologies. "Ten Gigabit is going to last quite a bit longer because of the price point it can provide."

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OneChip Photonics targets the data centre with its PICs

OneChip Photonics is developing integrated optical components for the IEEE 40GBASE-LR4 and 100GBASE-LR4 interface standards.

The company believes its photonic integrated circuits (PICs) will more than halve the cost of the 40 and 100 Gigabit 10km-reach interfaces, enough for LR4 to cost-competitively address shorter reach applications in the data centre.

"I think we can cut the price [of LR4 modules] by half or better”

Andy Weirich, OneChip Photonics

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Photonic integration specialist OneChip tackles PON

Briefing: PON

Part 1: Monolithic integrated transceivers

OneChip Photonics is moving to volume production of PON transceivers based on its photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design. The company believes that its transceivers can achieve a 20% price advantage.

"We will be able to sell [our integrated PON transceivers] at a 20% price differential when we reach high volumes"

Andy Weirich, OneChip Photonics

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40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFPs boost port density and reach

Avago Technologies and Reflex Photonics have announced extended reach 40 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) QSFP+ transceivers.  As data centres grow in size, there is a need to link equipment over distances greater than 100m, as defined by the IEEE 40 Gigabit Ethernet standard.

"For the larger data centres being built today, reach is becoming more and more important"

I Hsing Tan, Avago

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ECOC 2011: Products and market trends

There were several noteworthy announcements at the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) held in Geneva in September. Gazettabyte spoke to Finisar, Oclaro and Opnext about their ECOC product announcements and the associated trends.

100 Gig module

Opnext announced the first 100 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) transponder at ECOC, a much anticipated industry development.

"Quite a few system vendors .... are looking at 'make-versus-buy' for the next-generation [of 100Gbps]."

Ross Saunders, Opnext

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MultiPhy boosts 100 Gig direct-detection using digital signal processing

MultiPhy has detailed its 100 Gigabit direct-detection receiver IC for use in a pluggable CFP optical module addressing the metro market. 

The MP1100Q chip is being aimed at two cost-conscious metro networking requirements: 100 Gigabit point-to-point links and dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) metro networks.

The MP1100Q as part of a 100 Gig CFP module design. Source: MultiPhy

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Optical engines bring Terabit bandwidth on a card

Avago Technologies is now delivering to customers its 120 Gigabit-per-second optical engine devices. 

Such a parallel optics design offer several advantages when used on a motherboard. It offer greater flexibility when cooling since traditional optics are normally in pluggable slots at the card edge, furthest away from the fans. Such optical engines also simplify high-speed signal routing and electromagnetic interference issues since fibre is used rather than copper traces.

Figure 1: Fourteen 120Gbps MiniPods on a board. Source: Avago Technologies

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