Teledyne LeCroy, Coherent Solutions, Anritsu, Oclaro join for OFC 2016 400G test and measurement

Test and measurement systems providers Teledyne LeCroy, Anritsu Co., and Coherent Solutions Ltd., along with optical module and subsystems supplier Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR), say they will demonstrate a test set up designed provide single-carrier 16QAM signal generation and analysis at 56 Gbaud. The demonstration, which will take place at Teledyne LeCroy's Booth #1115 at OFC 2016 in Anaheim, CA, March 22-24, follows a similar demonstration by the partners of at ECOC 2015 last fall.

Each company will contribute technology to the demonstration test configuration. Anritsu will supply its MP1800A Signal Quality Analyzer and G0361A high-speed DAC to generate a 56-Gbaud, PAM-4 RF signal of 112 Gbps. Coherent Solutions' IQTX-40 IQTransmitter will leverage Oclaro's 40-GHz LiNbO3 modulator to transform the PAM-4 signals into an optical 16QAM signal, aided by new modulation-format-independent automatic bias control (ABC) technology. Teledyne LeCroy's 65-GHz LabMaster 10-65Zi-A real-time oscilloscope will combine with the 70-GHz IQS70 coherent optical receiver and Optical-LinQ integrated OMA software to characterize the modulated optical signal.

"Being able to generate a high-quality 16QAM signal at rates as high as 56GBaud using commercially available instruments is a major milestone in the pathway to single-carrier 400G. It is also a great way to showcase the latest products in the coherent communications ecosystem," said Andy Stevens, CEO of Coherent Solutions.

The use of PAM-4 signals also has implications for other test applications, the participants note.

"The 400GbE Ethernet standard now under investigation uses faster symbol bit rates and more lanes, as well as the PAM modulation method to increase the transfer capacity per unit time. As will be shown in the demonstration, connecting the new G0361A to the MP1800A SQA offers support for generating high-baud-rate PAM-4 signals to help move next-generation technology forward," said Hiroshi Goto, digital/optics business development manager at Anritsu.

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