Source Photonics demos single-wavelength 100G data center optics at OFC 2017

Signaling that such technology is nearing commercial feasibility, Source Photonics partnered with MACOM Technology Solutions Inc. and Semtech Corp. on demonstrations of optics for 53-Gbaud PAM4-based single-wavelength 100-Gbps applications. Both demonstrations leveraged a TOSA and ROSA Source Photonics has developed for such designs. The TOSA uses the company's internal 53-Gbaud externally modulated laser (EML). The EML operates at more than a 3-dB improvement versus the proposed 100GBASE-DR OMA specification, Source Photonics asserts.

The collaboration with MACOM showed the TOSA and ROSA paired with MACOM's 16-nm 56-Gbaud PAM4 PHY IC on an evaluation board. The IC drove an optical loop back through the TOSA and ROSA. The demonstration aimed to show how such technologies can drive 400G approaches such as 2-km 400GBASE-FR4 as well as next-generation 100G optical modules. The technology on the evaluation board operated below the KP4 forward error correction (FEC) requirement with a 6-dB loss budget.

In the demonstration with Semtech, Source Photonics also showed an optical loop back from the TOSA and ROSA, this time paired with Semtech's GN1089 TIA. The combined TOSA and ROSA link supported a loss budget of 5 dB with better than 1x10-5 BER, the company said.

Mark Heimbuch, CTO of Source Photonics, discussed the single-wavelength 100G technology demonstrations in a video interview with Lightwave last week.

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