Inphi announces volume production of 100G and 400G PAM4 platform

Inphi announced volume production of its 100Gbps and 400Gbps Single-Lambda Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM4) platform for data center and cloud networking applications.

Inphi’s Porrima PAM4 platform is a 56GBaud solution that includes linear TIA and drivers.

“Production availability of our Porrima PAM4 platform is aligned well with the data center expansion and is critical to meeting the rapidly increasing bandwidth needs in today’s cloud computing and hyper-scale data center environments,” said Eric Hayes, SVP, Networking Interconnect at Inphi. “Inphi continues to expand its technology and market leadership position in PAM4 data center and cloud infrastructure, and as a result are seeing a tremendous amount customer design win momentum supporting our now six generations of DSP developments. Inphi continues to drive next generation optical designs providing an ease of use API-based DSP software suite that achieves quick time-to-market with the right trade-offs in power and performance for data center optical interconnects.”

Porrima PAM4 DSP Product Family:
Porrima PAM4 DSP IC provides a full bi-directional interface with host ASICs that have 28GBaud PAM4and NRZ electrical interfaces, while bridging to 56GBaud optics. The product family can support PAM4 or NRZ signaling, and both Retiming and Gearbox functionality with packaging specifically designed for the following optics modules:

• Porrima 400G – 8x56Gbps PAM4 <-> 4x100Gbps PAM4 for QSFP-DD/oSFP/COBO
• Porrima 100G – 4x25Gbps NRZ <-> 1x100Gbps PAM4 for QSFP
• Porrima 100G – 2x50Gbps PAM4 <-> 1x100Gbps PAM4 for QSFP/uQSFP/SFP-DD

Porrima Linear Drivers:

The IN5630DE/IN5634SE is a 56GBaud low power single/quad linear driver for PAM4 optical modules. Features include:

• Excellent linearity, high bandwidth, adjustable gain to optimize the PAM4 system performances
• Low-power modulator driver in small package or in bare die form

Porrima Linear TIA’s:
The IN5661TA/5664TA is a 56GBaud low power single/quad linear TIA for PAM4 optical modules. Features include:

• Wide dynamic range to meet the different performance and link requirements for optical applications
• Excellent signal integrity necessary for PAM4 modulation schemes
• Low-power and small form factor

https://www.inphi.com/

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OIF approves IC-TROSA Implementation Agreement

OIF confirmed the approval of the Integrated Coherent Transmitter-Receiver Optical Subassembly (IC-TROSA) Implementation Agreement (IA).

The IC-TROSA Type-1 is optimized for silicon photonics technology and uses a surface-mount package with Ball Grid Array (BGA) electrical interface. Important advantages include an increased electrical bandwidth and solder reflow capability. The IC-TROSA Type-2 is optimized for Indium Phosphide technology and uses a gold-box package with flex-cable electrical interface. Important advantages include an integrated tunable laser and a duplex LC optical connector.

The IC-TROSA’s low power dissipation and miniature footprint enables small form factor digital coherent optics (DCO) transceivers in a QSFP-DD or OSFP form factor, as well as very high-density coherent line card or daughtercard designs. Devices can support multiple modulation formats, including QPSK, 8QAM, and 16QAM, at symbol rates up to 64Gbaud, enabling data transmission up to 600 Gb/s.

IC-TROSA integration will be demonstrated during this week’s OIF Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Interoperability Demo at ECOC 2019 in Dublin. (OIF booth 441).

“The IC-TROSA project took an aggressive approach to coherent optical component integration and has delivered two new package designs incorporating TX and RX integration, common digital controls and performance monitoring all in a small form factor package,” explained Scott Grindstaff, Director R&D, ADVA, and IC-TROSA IA Technical Editor. “Additionally, package specific features such as fiber-free interface and solder reflow compatibility have been incorporated.”

“The IC-TROSA IA is a solution for density requirements for line cards, front-pluggable and future on-board coherent 400G+ optical modules,” said Karl Gass, OIF PLL Working Group, Optical Vice Chair. “It aims to standardize a photonic package for coherent applications that is easy to use while leaving the internal implementation to the vendor.”

https://www.oiforum.com

OIF readies 400ZR, CEI-112G and IC-TROSA demos

Monday, September 09, 2019  OIF  

Twelve OIF member companies will stage a multi-vendor interoperability demonstration of 400ZR, Common Electrical I/O (CEI)-112G and IC-TROSA at the upcoming ECOC 2019 trade show in Dublin, Ireland later this month.

Participating companies include ADVA, Amphenol, Cadence Design System, Credo, Finisar, Inphi, Keysight Technologies, Marvell, Molex, MultiLane, TE Connectivity and YAMAICHI ELECTRONICS will participate in the demonstration in OIF’s booth, # 441.
400ZR & IC-TROSA Demo

OIF’s 400ZR project aims to reduce cost and complexity reduction for 400GbE over 80 km DWDM networks. The IC-TROSA features all of the optical building blocks for a coherent module in a single package. The demonstrations will highlight important aspects of IC-TROSA integration as well as real-time EVM measurements with the updated script for 400ZR. In addition, a hardware-based 400ZR installation will show a typical application case.

CEI-112G Demo

OIF is taking a lead role in moving the industry to the next generation with its development of electrical interface specifications for 112 Gbps per differential pair. Multiple live demonstrations featuring interoperability clearly prove the key role OIF provides. The CEI-112G demonstrations in the OIF booth will feature multi-party silicon supplier interoperability over mated compliance board channels, a full host to module channel and direct attach copper cable channels, all demonstrating the technical viability of 112 Gbps operation, along with multiple industry form factors including OSFP and QSFP-DD.

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Lumentum demos coherent modules, WSS, PAM4-optimized EMLs

Lumentum is presenting its full-spectrum of optical communications solutions at ECOC 2019 in Dublin, including:

Coherent Network Transmission Products

• Line-side coherent CFP2 Modules for 100G/200G+ transmission: Lumentum will exhibit both 100G/200G CFP2-ACO and CFP2-DCO coherent pluggable transceiver modules that leverage Lumentum's high-speed InP PIC devices.
• Coherent building blocks: High-speed coherent components for 100G and beyond including integrated coherent TROSAs with up to 64 GBaud symbol rates, high-bandwidth integrated driver modulators, and micro and dual ITLAs.
• Line-side direct-detect modules for 10G/25G tunable transmission: With more than 10 years of deployments and billions of device hours in the field, Lumentum is an established leader in tunable transmission for 10G and beyond. A broad range of tunable transmission products will be on display.

TrueFlex ROADM Portfolio

• Next-generation TrueFlex contentionless twin 8x24 wavelength selective switch (WSS): the newest addition to Lumentum's ROADM portfolio, enables simplified add/drop port scaling to support capacity growth in CDC networks and eliminates the need for EDFA arrays in many network designs. In addition, Lumentum will feature the TrueFlex monitoring portfolio and the TrueFlex Micro WSS platform including the high-port count Micro Twin 1x20 and 1x35, the Micro 1x9, the Micro Twin 1x9, and the Nano 1x9.

High-Speed Datacom Laser Chips

• DMLs: Lumentum DMLs offer high-reliability and use a pioneering cavity design to operate over the wide temperature ranges demanded by the latest 5G wireless systems.
• EMLs: Lumentum PAM4-optimized EMLs enable next-generation 400G and single-lambda 100G solutions that reduce the cost per bit. Lumentum laser chips enable a wide variety of standards-compliant modules for high-speed networking.
• VCSELs: Lumentum VCSELs for short-reach applications utilize Lumentum's experience in high-volume 3D sensing applications to deliver high-performance and cost-effective solutions to data centers and can be supplied as a single bare die, or 1x4 arrays.

Telecom Pump Lasers

• Next-generation high-power and high-reliability 980 nm pump lasers: The next-generation family of 980 nm pumps offer a range of maximum output powers from 800 mW to 1000 mW in a variety of form factors.

SDN Open Networking Platform

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) will perform a live open and disaggregated transport network (ODTN) demonstration using Lumentum's optical network elements at Demo 2. The live demo will showcase the use of the ONOS SDN controller for disaggregated transport networks, covering the provisioning of data connectivity services and demonstrating advanced automatic failure recovery and resiliency, at both the data and control plane level.

https://www.lumentum.com

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Jabil Photonics demos coherent SiP-based 100G/200G CFP2-DCO

Jabil Photonics (formerly Jabil AOC Technologies) is demonstrating its coherent 100G/200G CFP2-DCO module this week at ECOC 2019 in Dublin.

Jabil’s CFP2-DCO is a hot-pluggable module designed to support single-wavelength data coherent transmission at 100Gbps using DP-QPSK and 200Gbps using DP-16QAM modulations. The CFP2-DCO is designed for DWDM networks ranging from metro and data-center interconnect (DCI) to long-haul applications, as well as 100Gbps point-to-point (P2P) coherent solutions for unamplified links in 5G and cable access networks up to 80km.

Jabil’s CFP2-DCO is powered by Elenion Technologies’ next generation Silicon Photonics (SiP) coherent engine. The module incorporates an ultra-narrow linewidth external cavity micro-ITLA laser with gridless DWDM wavelength capability for tuning across the extended C-Band, and a low power coherent Digital Signal Processor (DSPs) using advanced 16-nm CMOS technology.

“As the pace of optical networking innovation and the surge of bandwidth demand in communication networks continues to accelerate, the ecosystem needs players that can quickly enable volume manufacturing and simplify sourcing models,” said Stefano Schiavoni, vice president and GM of Jabil’s Photonics business unit. “The release of our CFP2-DCO product represents a significant industry milestone by delivering a vertically integrated solution at the lowest cost structure. Unlike traditional build-to-print contract manufacturers, Jabil leverages its advanced design capabilities, operational excellence and world-class supply chain to meet the increasingly competitive requirements of our customers.”

“We are pleased with the opportunity to partner with Jabil Photonics to manufacture our sophisticated SiP coherent optical engines together with the CFP2-DCO in Jabil’s precision optical manufacturing line,” said Larry Schwerin, president and CEO of Elenion Technologies.

The CFP2-DCO will be Jabil’s first product launched under the “Jabil Photonics” brand which replaces the former “Jabil AOC Technologies” brand.  The new branding reflects Jabil’s end-to-end manufacturing and supply chain capabilities in the area of photonics.  In addition to the product line expansion with the Jabil Photonics CFP2-DCO, Jabil is growing its investment in the optical segment with the expansion of its Penang, Malaysia, production facility with a focus on Optical Manufacturing Services (OMS) as well as Jabil Photonics components. 

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CommScope's new DAA aggregator, Soft EDD, DOCSIS timing protocol

CommScope announced three technology breakthroughs that improve performance at the core, throughout the access layer, and at the edge:

• DAA Aggregator – This massively scalable new architecture extends fiber deeper into the network, lowers total cost of ownership, and requires relatively minor changes to existing fiber deep networks. The change significantly increases the number of homes passed per RPD serving group – from 20 to 40 to between 150 to 300 – enabling deeper reach into neighborhoods and a simplified path to network upgrades.
• Extended Soft FDD – This new combination of software-only Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Extended Spectrum DOCSIS (ESD) – pushes network interface speeds beyond 1.2 GHz and is already being hailed as a preliminary flavor of DOCSIS 4.0. The advance comes just four months after the company first demonstrated soft FDD.
• A new DOCSIS timing protocol – Precise timing distribution over the DOCSIS network is now possible. Such precision is imperative for time-critical processing and applications, where a fraction of a second means the difference between success and failure. Current and future applications include mobile backhaul, virtual reality, and autonomous vehicle control.

All will become elements of the company’s Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) and 10G portfolios.

CommScope will discuss and demonstrate the new technologies at the SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo beginning September 30th in New Orleans.

“It’s no longer enough to have the fastest network,” said Tom Cloonan, CommScope chief technologist for network solutions in the company’s Office of the CTO. “2020 is about efficiency and simplicity. There will be significant changes to architectures over time, and it’s important to work with a company that has both industry-leading technology and the expertise to execute at any point in that transformation.”

http://www.commscope.com

CommScope Advances 10G Broadband Roadmap

Sunday, June 02, 2019  CommScope  

CommScope announced several areas of progress on its 10G Broadband roadmap

• A low-latency DOCSIS system deemed crucial to next-generation broadband performance. The company is demonstrating IP video running alongside traditional QAM video over an EPON channel at 10 Gbps. 
• A software-configurable Frequency-Division Duplex (Soft FDD) system with the potential to deliver 10G speeds over traditional coaxial wiring. Soft FDD uses FDX technology and provides a foundation for symmetrical services.
• The E6000 vCore fully virtualized converged cable access platform (CCAP) core. This offers automated provisioning and capacity tools for end-to-end service provisioning and smart capacity additions; and orchestration and intelligence tools to manage multi-access configurations and produce better analytics about network performance.

CommScope notes that these announcements come fewer than six months after it revealed its role in pioneering the core technologies for 10 Gbps broadband (10G), and just four months after it announced a 8.5 Gbps network trial with Virgin Media.

In addition, Vodafone Germany is underway with a nationwide upgrade to support 1Gbps service. Some 12 million customers will enjoy the high-speed Gigabit service through an ARRIS broadband device when the rollout is complete. Swiss provider Sasag last month became the first European operator to announce upgrading its entire network to use DOCSIS 3.1 (D3.1) for both the upstream and downstream channels.
CommScope completed its acquisition of ARRIS International in April.

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3M adds partners for Beam Optical Connector system

3M signed Rosenberger OSI and Molex as its first partners in its Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) Connector ecosystem. These companies intend to manufacture and sell expanded beam optical solutions based on the 3M Expanded Beam Optical Connector System, including optical patch cords using this technology.

“The addition of these trusted and experienced assembly solution collaborators to the ecosystem will accelerate our ability to serve data center customers with the experience they need and expect,” states Kris Aman, global marketing manager at 3M. “Our collaboration with Rosenberger OSI and Molex will help us continue to develop and expand this exciting technology to enable next-generation data center optical connectivity.”

Rosenberger OSI and Molex are the first assembly solution collaborators to join 3M’s ecosystem. The ecosystem already includes inspection tool collaborators, EXFO and Sumix, who are developing adapters for their tools, inspection images and pass or fail criteria for 3M connectors.

3M intros Expanded Beam Ferrule and Connector System

Thursday, March 21, 2019  3M  

Earlier this month, 3M introduced an Expanded Beam Optical Connector System for single mode and multimode interconnects in next-gen data centers.

“We’ve reimagined fiber optic connectors,” said Nick Stacey, Ph.D., global laboratory manager at 3M. “Our ferrule and connector technology is designed to reduce cleaning requirements, to provide design flexibility and to enable the performance necessary for next-generation optical deployment.”

The 3M Expanded Beam Optical Ferrule uses a non-contact optical coupling in contrast to the more traditional physical contact methods. Together with the connector design, this helps to provide reduced sensitivity to dust, helping maintain signal integrity, and reducing the need for, and cost of, maintenance and cleaning.

It is available in single mode (1310 nm) and multimode (850 nm) versions. In single mode, insertion loss specification is <0 .70="" and="" db="" is="" loss="" return="">55 dB. In multimode, insertion loss specification is <0 .30="" and="" db="" is="" loss="" return="">25 dB. The configurable and scalable connector design can accommodate anywhere from 12 fibers to 192 fibers. The simple, but robust hermaphroditic component geometry design, with low part count, can be mated and re-mated reliably with a simple LC-style latch. The performance enables architects and engineers to deploy the technology in multilink data center applications.

http://www.3M.com

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HUBER+SUHNER debuts cross-connect fiber management system

HUBER+SUHNER introduced its LISA Double Access solution -- a high-density, modular cross-connect fiber management system solution that provides a maximum of 3600 ports per rack. Alongside the LISA Double Access is the IANOS fiber management system, which provides flexibility for managing high volumes of cables and data rates.

“We realise that the LISA Double Access has long been the technology of choice and is an important aspect of network design for our customers,” said Eduardo Lopes, Head of Product Management Fiber Management Systems (FMS) at HUBER+SUHNER.“ As pioneers in cost-effective cross-connect connectivity solutions, we are convinced that the use of a comprehensive, but simply structured fiber optic management system is crucial for the successful operation of a data center due to the vulnerability of fiber optic cabling.”

Also joining HUBER+SUHNER’s line-up at ECOC 2019, is its novel Wavelength Division Multiplexer Coupling Module (WCM) for chip on-board low-cost transceivers assemblies. Featuring between two and eight lambdas based on TFF filters and CUBO’s direct beam bouncing polymer optical bench technology, the WCM provides ultra-low loss performance to couple and (de)mux two-to-eight laser diodes or photo detectors from a PCB board into a fiber receptacle. It enables transceiver or optical board manufacturers to assemble the non-hermetic optical bench in a very low-cost passive way directly on top of the photo detectors or lasers integrated in their PCB board.

Adding to the extensive Fiber Connectivity range already presented, HUBER+SUHNER Cube Optics (CUBO) will also debut its new 400G PAM4 Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly (ROSA) at the event. Designed for use in 400GBase-FR transceivers, the four-channel demultiplexer – which contains four integrated photo detectors with linear transimpedance amplifiers – operates at 56GBaud lane speed and features an optical LC receptacle input and electrical flex foil output. The high sensitivity of -4.6dBm eliminates the need to use additional expensive and power-hungry DSP chips in the transceiver, while still meeting IEEE specifications.

https://www.hubersuhner.com/en

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Centera and Credo partner on Single-Lambda 100G PAM4

Centera Photonics and Credo, which specializes in Serializer-Deserializer (SerDes) technology, are partnering on a low power, cost and performance optimized 100G-DR/FR QSFP28 optical module.

Centera and Credo are showcasing the 100G-DR modules at ECOC 2019 in Dublin.

“Credo’s purpose built mixed signal optical DSP solutions provide the precise balance between performance, power, and price to enable mass deployments of 100Gbps Single-Lambda optical modules,” said Jeff Twombly, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Credo. “Combined with Centera’s optical engine technology and transceiver-level expertise, we are able to deliver world class solutions to our mutual customers that achieve the best overall system performance, signal integrity, and power efficiency.”

“Centera’s proprietary silicon optical engine sets a new frontier for next-generation of single-wave 100G optical interconnects in datacenter applications,” said Dr. Brian Lan, Centera’s R&D Director. “Credo’s power optimized optical DSP allowed us to quickly develop and deliver best in class 100G production modules for our data center customers.”

http://www.credosemi.com

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The OpenTAP Project for Open Source Test Automation builds roster

The OpenTAP Project for Open Source Test Automation welcomed four new members: 5G-VINNI, Page Electronica NV, TandM Solutions and Tokalabs.

The OpenTAP project comprises a growing community of developers dedicated to the idea of effortless automation.The core technology is a test sequencer, with the community continuously adding plugins and solutions that support faster development, new functionality and optimization in test. Through these contributions and the enhanced collaboration possible with its open-core approach, OpenTAP is inspiring developers to innovate automation solutions in testing and measurement, and beyond.

Jason Hicks, director at TandM Solutions noted, “Test automation platforms have been at the core of my work for the last twenty years, but never before has a framework armed the developer with such a complete and flexible tool chain – and even better, it is open source”. Other companies, like Page Electronica, have noticed bottlenecks in many of their automated manufacturing processes. “We are excited to join OpenTAP,” said Luc Page, CEO of Page Electronica. “It allows us to start with a proven foundation of automation capability eliminating the need to build something wholly custom and use our resources and people in more effective ways.”

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Infinera's XR Optics delivers coherent optical subcarrier aggregation

Infinera introduced a point-to-multipoint coherent optical subcarrier aggregation technology with the potential to significantly reduce the number of transceivers required in an access network while eliminating intermediate aggregation.

Infinera's XR optics technology, which is optimized for hub-and-spoke traffic patterns, is powered by independently routable Nyquist subcarriers and coherent optical aggregation capabilities. With coherent subcarrier aggregation (CSA) capabilities, XR optics technology enables a single high-speed transceiver to simultaneously send and receive independent data streams to/from numerous low-speed transceivers.

Subcarriers can be flexibly sized. For example, 4 X 25G subcarriers defined in a 100G QSFP-28 transcrivers; or 16 X 25G subcarriers defined in a 400G QSFP-DD transceiver.

The company says that by leveraging these capabilities, network operators will be positioned to significantly reduce the number of transceivers in the network, eliminate the need for costly intermediate aggregation devices, and more efficiently optimize transport infrastructure for hub-and-spoke end-user traffic flows.

Initial areas of focus include DAA fiber deep networks, 5G X-haul, DSL/PON backhaul, and fiber-enabled business services.

XR optics is designed to be integrated into a variety of form factors, including industry-standard pluggables, from low-speed interfaces with a single subcarrier to high-speed (400G+) interfaces with numerous subcarriers.

“We’re excited to introduce the revolutionary concept of coherent subcarrier aggregation, one that will redefine the cost structure of next-generation transport networks,” said Dr. Dave Welch, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer. “XR optics addresses a fundamental deficiency in optical communications technology and is expected to have a significant impact on any network that implements an aggregation function.”

“Developing 400ZR solutions demands a large investment, and companies are looking for ways to leverage these investments by broadening their addressable market. Infinera has gone a step further in a big, bold move: it is combining its unique expertise in photonics, silicon, and network
management to yet again create a truly differentiated approach to solve the engineering challenges faced by network operators,” said Andrew Schmitt, Directing Analyst, Cignal AI.

“We are excited about XR optics and its potential to make optical networks more efficient,” said Beck Mason, SVP and General Manager Telecom Transmission, Lumentum. “Our market leading coherent transmission products, based on high-performance indium phosphide photonic integrated circuits, are well proven and deployed in volume in coherent transmission applications, including those employing digital subcarriers, the innovative technology upon which XR optics is based.”

“Optical aggregation with XR optics is a compelling new architecture for aggregating edge nodes such as 5G radios into high-speed 400G router ports without requiring active aggregation devices in the field. We welcome this multi-vendor effort to fundamentally reduce the complexity
and operational cost of aggregation networks,” said Christophe Metivier, VP of Manufacturing and Platform Engineering, Arista Networks.

ECOC 2019 -- a panel discussion, “XR Optics: Point-to-Multipoint Coherent Connectivity and the Future of Transport Network Architectures,” is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25 at 10:30 a.m. in Room Dodder B.

https://www.infinera.com/innovation/xr-optics

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