Hengtong Optic-Electric announces QSFP-DD 400G DR4, FR4 optical transceivers
Hengtong Optic-Electric Co., Ltd. says its subsidiary, Hengtong Rockley Technology Co., Ltd., has announced mass production of both 400G QSFP-DD DR4 and FR4 optical transceivers. The 400G DR4 leverages a design based on silicon photonics while the FR4 optical module is based on a more traditional free-space optical approach.
Hengtong Rockley Technology, as its name indicates, is the joint venture between Hengtong Optic-Electric and Rockley Photonics (see “Rockley Photonics, Hengtong Optic-Electric form joint venture for optical transceiver module manufacturing”). Thus, the 400G DR4 QSFP-DD leverages miniaturized silicon photonic integrated chips and electronic integrated chips made by Rockley. The module also features a 7-nm coherent DSP chip. The 400G DR4 also displays a power consumption of less than 9 W, Hengtong says.
The company makes the DR4 optical module using a chip-on-board (COB) assembly process as well as passive alignment to couple the fiber to the silicon photonic chips. The result is a manufacturing cost reduction of 10%-30% compare with traditional 400G transceivers based on free-space optics, Hengtong states.
Meanwhile, Hengtong does take the free-space approach for the 400G QSFP-DD FR4 optical transceiver. That module also uses a 7-nm DSP chip, an EML on the transmitter side, and an InP detector on receiver side. It too features a power consumption of less than 9 W.
Rockley Photonics recently announced a move toward the healthcare and medical market (see "Rockley Photonics to go public, focus on healthcare market"). However, the joint venture with Hengtong remains in effect.
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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.
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