NeoPhotonics shipping 64-GBaud coherent optical components for 600-Gbps, 1.2-Tbps designs

Ahead of next month's OFC 2018 in San Diego, NeoPhotonics Corp. (NYSE: NPTN) says it has begun to ship a range of 64-GBaud optical components to multiple customers. The components – which include a 64-GBaud coherent driver modulator (CDM), a 64-GBaud coherent intradyne receiver, and an ultra-narrow linewidth tunable laser – are intended for use in designs aimed at 600-Gbps and 1.2 Tbps applications.

NeoPhotonics sees the components as useful to support single-channel 600G or dual-channel 1.2T requirements in data center interconnect (DCI) links at up to 80 km. The components also can be used in 400G metro applications of 400-600 km using 16-QAM modulation as well as to support 200G long-haul links greater than 1000 km when paired with QPSK modulation. All three components are compact enough to fit in CFP2 pluggable optical transceivers and compact daughter cards. Further details of the three products include:

• The polarization multiplexed, quadrature CDM is shipping in limited availability. The device features a co-packaged InP modulator with a linear, high-bandwidth, differential driver in a package designed to be compliant with the anticipated OIF Implementation Agreement. Co-packaging the InP IQ modulator with the driver enables an 85% reduction in line card board space compared to equivalent lithium niobate alternatives, NeoPhotonics asserts.
• The Class 40 micro-intradyne coherent receiver (micro-ICR) is in volume production. The Micro-ICR supports such higher-order modulation as 64 QAM. Its package is designed to be compliant with the OIF Implementation Agreement OIF-DPC-MRX-02.0.
• The micro tunable laser (micro-TL) features an external cavity design that has been proven in volume production and is now configured in a smaller, lower profile package for use in pluggable modules. The laser design enables a significantly narrower linewidth than competing approaches, NeoPhotonics says. The micro-TL is available in an Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (ITLA) form factor designed to be compliant with the OIF Implementation Agreements OIF-MicroITLA-01.1 and OIF-ITLA-MSA-01.3.

The announcement is the latest milestone in the company's 64-GBaud efforts (see, for example, "NeoPhotonics offers 64-GBaud coherent micro-modulator for 400/600 Gbps" and "NeoPhotonics offers 64-GBaud coherent line for 600G and up"). NeoPhotonics will show off these devices and other products at OFC 2018, March 13-15, in Booth 3322.

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