JUNE 10, 2010 By Stephen Hardy -- Ensphere Solutions, which previously signaled its shift from design services to new product development through its role in Intel’s Light Peak program (see “Ensphere Solutions joins Light Peak pursuit with transceiver IC”), has unveiled its second set of devices for optical communications applications. The 4-port ESI-1014 and 12-port ESI-1110 are 10-Gbps laser diode driver (LDD) arrays targeted toward 10G, 40G, and 100G optical modules using Fabry Perot or distributed feedback (DFB) lasers.
The driver arrays represent a departure from traditional techniques, says Al Gharakhanian, vice president of marketing at Ensphere. The CMOS-based drivers are sold as bare dies and can be placed adjacent to the laser array in the transmitter subassembly in a shunt configuration. An external source -- for example, a VCSEL driver -- powers the driver array, which in turn drives the laser array.
While this arrangement might appear complicated, it improves signal integrity and provides a more space efficient, lower power approach versus a separate driver for each element in the FP or DFB laser array, Gharakhanian asserts. The LDDs consume 100 mW/port (including the power dissipated by the laser); crosstalk between adjacent ports is less than -30 dB. They present a 100-Ohm load to the preceding driver.
The ESI-1014 and ESI-1110 driver arrays can supply up to 100 mA of bias and 50 mA of modulation currents per port. They can be provided in either flip-chip or die-bonding configurations and are fully characterized over industrial temperature range.
In particular, Gharakhanian expects them to see use in CFP and QSFP modules for 40G, 100G, and 120G applications.
Sample quantities of the ESI-1014 and ESI-1110 driver arrays are available now. Two companies are evaluating the devices already, Gharakhanian says. Production quantities of both devices will be available at the end of August 2010.
Visit Ensphere Solutions