Inphi offers Polaris Gen2 7-nm 50G PAM4 platform family
Inphi Corp. (NASDAQ GS: IPHI) has debuted the Polaris Gen2 PAM4 platform family. The Polaris Gen2 centers on a 50G, 28-Gbaud PAM4 DSP with integrated drivers; the platform also includes complementary transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) and driver options, all based on 7-nm CMOS technology.
As its name implies, the new platform builds on Inphi’s previous Polaris Gen1 platform but provides higher performance. The 28-GBaud PAM4 DSP offers integrated driver options for EML and silicon photonics designs for optical interconnects from 50G to 400G. The DSP is designed to support multimode and single-mode fiber applications from less than 100 m to as much as 40 km while maintaining a low power profile. This application range includes 50-Gbps breakout and 25G NRZ transmission.
Linear driver options include the Inphi IN2814DV, a 28-Gbaud low-power quad VCSEL linear driver for PAM4 optical modules or active optical cables (AOCs), as well as the Inphi IN2821SD single-channel DML linear driver for PAM4 optical modules. The TIAs include the Inphi IN2864TA TIA 28-Gbaud low-power quad linear TIA for PAM4 optical modules and the Inphi IN2865TA 28-Gbaud low-power quad VCSEL linear TIA for PAM4 optical modules or AOCs.
The DSP, linear drivers, and TIAs combine to offer a highly integrated PAM4 foundation for optical module deployments in data centers, Inphi states. These include 400G optical transceivers in both QSFP-DD and OSFP form factors and 200G modules in the QSFP56 package.
“As a pioneer of PAM4 technology for high-speed interconnects, Inphi is again breaking new ground and continuing to lead the industry with a highly integrated next generation DSP platform based on 7-nm CMOS process technology,” said Eric Hayes, senior vice president, networking interconnect at Inphi. “Leveraging our experience achieved over the past years hardening our successful 16-nm Polaris PAM4 DSP, TIA, and driver solutions in high-volume deployment, we’ve introduced the new Polaris Gen2 family to fulfill the strong market demand for 50G data center low-power interconnects.”
“High power consumption of optical interconnects is one the main challenges for next-generation hyperscale data centers,” commented Vladimir Kozlov, founder and CEO of LightCounting Market Research, via an Inphi press release. “Inphi’s new Polaris Gen2 platform enables lower power 50G PAM4 solution for 200G and 2x200G optical transceivers and active optical cables. As volumes are ramping in this large and growing market, highly integrated PAM4 solutions like Polaris Gen2 offer a path for continuous reductions in complexity and cost of products based on this technology.”
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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.
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