NeoPhotonics begins pilot shipments of Class 60 coherent modulator, coherent receiver

May 13, 2021
The company says the shipments are going to multiple customers, who are evaluating them for applications that require 96 GBaud and higher operation, including 800G and above.

NeoPhotonics Corp. (NYSE: NPTN) says it has extended its support of high-speed coherent optical transmission designs with the launch of pilot shipments of Class 60 versions of its Coherent Driver-Modulator (CDM) and Intradyne Coherent Receiver (Micro-ICR) that it announced last December (see "NeoPhotonics offers Class 60 coherent modulator and coherent receiver for 100 Gbaud and above"). The company says the shipments are going to multiple customers, who are evaluating them for applications that require 96-GBaud and higher operation, including 800G and above.

The Class 60 CDM and Micro-ICR are mechanically compatible with the earlier Class 40 versions, which NeoPhotonics says enables a smooth upgrade to the support of higher transmission rates. The Class 60 components increase the 3-dB bandwidth from the 40 GHz of Class 40 to 60 GHz. The new CDM and Micro-ICR can enable single-wavelength transmission rates 1 Tbps over data center interconnect (DCI) distances, as well as 400 to 500 Gbps over long-haul distances, the company states.

NeoPhotonics’ Class 60 CDM features a co-packaged InP modulator with four linear, high-bandwidth, differential drivers. It is designed for low modulation voltage (V-Pi), low insertion loss, and a high extinction ratio. Its packaging is compliant with the form factor of the OIF Implementation Agreement #OIF-HB-CDM-01.0.

The Class 60 Micro-ICR is designed for 96-GBaud symbol rates, essentially triple the rate of standard 100G ICRs. Its package is compliant with the OIF Implementation Agreement OIF-DPC-MRX-02.0.

“We are pleased to be shipping initial quantities of our Class 60 coherent modulators and receivers, which along with our Ultra-Narrow Linewidth external cavity ‘Nano’ tunable laser, provide a complete suite of components enabling customers to efficiently implement 800Gbps per wavelength coherent communications systems,” said Tim Jenks, chairman and CEO of NeoPhotonics. “We are further extending the bandwidth of our Indium Phosphide coherent integration platform by developing Class 80 components for 130-GBaud operation as we continue to serve the highest speed-over-distance applications.”

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.

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