Lightwave Logic says polymer-based Mach-Zehnder modulators meet 50-Gbps PAM4 requirements

Lightwave Logic, Inc. (OTCQB: LWLG) says that 50-Gbps PAM4 ridge waveguide Mach-Zehnder modulatorscreated usingits polymer system have demonstrated performance consistent with data center requirements. Lightwave Logic CEO Dr. Michael Lebby said Wednesday at ECOC 2017 in Gothenburg, Sweden, that the company will now proceed with to create products using the polymer modulator in support of 400 Gigabit Ethernet requirements.

Lebby, who was brought onboard earlier this year to move the company from the research to product development phase, said the first products likely will be optical subassemblies. Prototypes should be available at some point in 2018. The technology behind Lightwave Logic's Polymer PIC (P2IC) platform should be extensible to 100 Gbps, thus enabling 800-Gbps transmission products.

Lightwave Logic has pursued polymer technology because of its potential for lower cost than other materials as well as its flexibility: polymers can be combined with either silicon photonics or indium phosphide in pursuit of photonic integration. The major hurdle to productization, Lebby said, has been getting polymer-based devices to exhibit stable performance at the environmental temperatures communications environments require. Polymers have failed to meet traditional telco environmental requirements, Lebby allowed. However, the less stringent requirements of the data center have offered a more management target – one Lebby said Lightwave Logic has now achieved for 50-Gbps applications.

The realization of stable 50-Gbps performance comes as the latest milestone of performance advancements the company says it has achieved (see, for example, "Lightwave Logic ups polymer ridge waveguide modulator performance to 25 Gbps").

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