11.1-Gbit/sec modulator driver designed for optical duobinary applications
October 10, 2002--Multilink Technology Corp. (www.mltc.com) has introduced its first 9.9- to 11.1-Gbit/sec Optical Duobinary (ODB) Modulator Driver (MDR). The MTC5536 is designed to enable metro equipment manufacturers to significantly reduce system costs and simplify network management by eliminating the need for optical dispersion compensation devices within the optical link.
The Micro-Module MTC5536 is a precision modulator driver designed specifically for metro networks. The use of the ODB technique provides the ability to transmit twice the distance as compared to the traditional Non Return-to-Zero (NRZ) format without the use of dispersion compensation optical components in the network link, says the company. In addition, truck rolls that manage the network dispersion map as optical connections are modified in the metro build-out will be substantially reduced or removed, generating significant savings.
"This device allows the use of readily available small footprint LiNbO3 single-ended optical modulators and standard receivers to more than double the achievable Metro spans without the need for expensive optical dispersion compensation devices. Error free transmission distances in excess of 200 km over standard single mode fiber, or greater than a 2X improvement compared to standard NRZ modulation formats, have been demonstrated in our optical test bed," according to Andrew Bonthron, Multilink's executive director of engineering.
The MTC5536 is packaged in an 18x18 mm BGA and includes a topside heat sink for thermal management. The device is pin-out compatible with Multilink's NRZ and ERZ Micro-Module components, allowing a customer to implement an ODB transponder with minimal redesign efforts. The device also provides customers with such features as integrated duobinary pre-coder, high output limiting driver, high output single-ended voltage (11.0 V p-p), integrated output Bessel-Thompson filter, output amplitude control, and precision amplitude monitoring circuitry.
The MTC5536 is currently available to customers worldwide on an evaluation board priced at $2,000.