11 March 2014

NeoPhotonics adds integrated coherent transmitter for 100G coherent transport; samples small-form-factor narrow-linewidth tunable laser and Type 2 intradyne coherent receiver

NeoPhotonics Corp of San Jose, CA, a vertically integrated designer and manufacturer of both indium phosphide (InP) and silica-on-silicon photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based modules and subsystems for high-speed communications networks, is adding an integrated coherent transmitter (ICT) to its suite of next-generation small-form-factor PIC-based optical components for 100G coherent transport. The products use photonic integration to reduce the size and power requirements of 100G coherent optics to enable higher port densities on line-cards and in transponders.

The ICT is designed to reduce the size of the transmitter optics for a 100G coherent transport link by a factor of four compared to current approaches. The device combines a narrow-linewidth tunable laser with a dual-polarization QPSK modulator in a single, compact package. The modulator section uses PIC integration to combine multiple elements onto a single chip and consists of four indium phosphide (InP)-based Mach-Zehnder modulators including integrated phase and balance control along with variable optical attenuator (VOA) functionality and monitor photodiodes. The ICT also provides a second optical output port that can be used as the local oscillator for the coherent receiver, reducing the number of lasers required in a coherent line-card or transponder. NeoPhotonics expects to begin sampling the ICT to key customers in mid-2014.

In addition to the ICT, NeoPhotonics offers both narrow-linewidth tunable lasers (NLW-TL) and intradyne coherent receivers (ICR) in standard form factors and has now added small-form-factor versions of each of these components to its portfolio. These new products build on NeoPhotonics’ field-proven PIC technology and take advantage of established, reliable and high-volume manufacturing capability.

The narrow-linewidth, micro-integrable tunable laser assembly (micro-ITLA) utilizes NeoPhotonics’ PIC technology, which allows the integration of many active and passive photonic functions within single-chip elements, and is designed to fully support the OIF implementation agreement (OIF-microITLA-01.0). The micro-ITLA is designed to support the high optical output power and the narrow linewidths required for next-generation coherent network architectures, while at the same time lowering the electrical power consumption and reducing the laser footprint on a line-card by more than a factor of three. The micro-ITLA supports off-grid tuning and incorporates a VOA function. NeoPhotonics is currently sampling multiple customers with the micro-ITLA and expects it to enter general availability in second-half 2014.

NeoPhotonics is also sampling to multiple customers its Type 2 small-form-factor intradyne coherent receiver (Type 2 ICR), which is less than half the size of existing ICRs. Built on the same PIC integration platform as NeoPhotonics’ standard Type 1 ICR, the Type 2 ICR is designed to fully support the OIF Implementation Agreement (OIF-DPC-RX-01.2) and incorporates an integrated VOA on the signal path, a monitor photodiode (MPD), and automatic gain control operation (AGC). The RF pins are on 1mm pitch and follow a GSSG format. The versatile device is well suited to both single incoming channel and multiple incoming channel applications, says the firm. NeoPhotonics expects the Type 2 ICR to enter general availability in second-half 2014.

The small form factor products are also designed to scale to 200G and 400G applications using higher-order modulation schemes.

Taken together, the ICT, micro-ITLA and Type 2 ICR allow NeoPhotonics to provide all the optical elements necessary for next-generation systems, says chairman & CEO Tim Jenks. “Photonic integration, such as NeoPhotonics possesses, is the key to providing customers with the high performance, small size and lower electrical power consumption that are necessary to achieve the line-card densities that are now required,” he adds.

NeoPhotonics is exhibiting its suite of standard and small-form-factor PIC-based components for 100G coherent line-side applications, along with its 100G client-side CFP and CFP2 transceivers and its next generation transceivers for access networks, in booth 1815 at the Optical Fiber Communications exposition (OFC 2014) in San Francisco (11-13 March).

Tags: NeoPhotonics PICs

Visit: www.neophotonics.com