20 July 2011

Santur ramps-up production of 10X10 MSA-compliant 100Gbps CFP modules

Santur Corp of Fremont, CA, USA, a vertically integrated manufacturer of tunable laser arrays for metro and long-haul wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) systems as well as photonic integrated products for SMF 40Gbps and 100Gbps client and coherent applications, has announced the general availability of its 100Gbps CFP optical modules compliant with the 10X10 MSA (multi-source agreement).

Founded in December 2010, the 10X10 MSA is an industry group of 25 firms dedicated to technology and standards development for low-cost 100Gbps client interfaces based on 10G signaling. Members include Google, Brocade, Santur, JDSU, Huawei, Facebook, BTI Systems, AMS-IX, MRV, EXFO, Enablence, Cyoptics, AFOP, Oplink, Hitachi Cable America, Kotura, Effdon, Source Photonics, Verdant Networks, Kaiam, Innolight, Fourte Design, Viscore, Maxim and Cortina Systems.

The 2km reach of this new version of Santur’s 100Gbps CFP optical modules bridges the gap between 100m multi-mode and 10km single-mode fiber (SMF) solutions, enabling the roll-out of new networks capable of delivering exponentially higher bandwidth at a significantly lower cost per bit, says the firm. Unlike 100m multi-mode based on ribbons of fiber, this solution operates on a conventional single-mode fiber (SMF), enabling extended reach of 2km. Compared with other 4x25G 100Gbps implementations for single-mode fiber, this approach does not require 25Gbps electronics such as gearbox ICs to convert 10Gbps data streams to intermediate 25Gbps lanes.

“For more than 20 years, we have been discussing the possibility of integrating multiple active optical components on a single chip to reduce cost and power,” says president & CEO Paul Meissner. “Over time, several companies have tried, but none offered such high level of integration that allowed us to meet our cost and power targets,” he adds. “The hybrid integration platform scales to higher data rates and wider WDM lanes to create many product variants based on a common architecture targeted at cost-effectively meeting the needs to expand the global Internet infrastructure.”

Santur’s new 100Gbps CFP optical modules, which entered full-scale production in early June, deliver what is claimed to be disruptive cost per bit at 100Gbps comparable to that of 10G XFP modules currently shipping. Based on volume production pricing, the new 100Gbps CFP module will have an entry point of below $5000 in volumes of 100 units or higher. The modules further improve energy efficiency by cutting maximum power dissipation to 13W to match power-per-bit metrics comparable to 10Gbps SFP+ optical modules, the firm claims.

Tags: Santur CFP modules

Visit: www.santurcorp.com

Visit: www.10X10msa.org