27 May 2015

Advantest launches its first integrated test solution for optical transceivers

Tokyo-based automatic test equipment (ATE) supplier Advantest Corp has launched the 28G OPM (28-gigabit optical port module), its first solution designed specifically for testing optical transceivers.

"With our new 28G OPM module, we are well positioned to serve the rapidly growing market for optical transceivers, which Infonetics Research has projected to reach $3.3bn by 2016," says Dr Toshiyuki Okayasu, executive officer & executive VP of the SoC Test Business Group at Advantest. According to Facebook, the required target price of next-generation optical transceivers is as low as $1 for each gigabit per second (Gbps) of data-transfer speed.

The semiconductor industry roadmap for optical transceivers calls for boosting speeds from existing 40Gbps interconnections to 100Gbps by 2017 and possibly 400Gbps by 2020. Advantest's new solution is reckoned to be among the first integrated solutions capable of cost-efficiently testing these high-speed devices.

By mounting the new module on Advantest's T2000 platform, up to eight 100Gbps transceivers can be tested simultaneously. To test each 100Gbps transceiver, four lanes of both optical and electrical 28Gbps ports are used. The integrated ATE solution enables faster cycle times and greater operating efficiency at a lower cost of test while also offering the benefit of being fully supported by Advantest's global customer service network.

"As the Internet of Things (IoT) grows, data centers need greater bandwidth," says Okayasu. "This requires a much higher volume of high-speed, low-cost transceivers," he adds. "Our 28G OPM solution can reduce transceivers' test costs and increase their productivity, advances that could have far-reaching effects on data-center designs and the IoT."

Tags: Optical transceivers

Visit: www.advantest.com