- News
13 March 2018
MACOM launches L-PIC-enabled CWDM4 transmitter optical sub-assembly to drive cloud data centers and 5G optical connectivity
© Semiconductor Today Magazine / Juno PublishiPicture: Disco’s DAL7440 KABRA laser saw.
In booth #2613 at the Optical Networking and Communication Conference & Exhibition (OFC 2018) in San Diego (13-15 March), MACOM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, MA, USA (which makes semiconductors, components and subassemblies for RF, microwave, millimeter-wave and lightwave applications) has launched the MAOT-025402 CWDM4 transmitter optical sub-assembly as part of its L-PIC (laser-integrated silicon photonic integrated circuit) solution for 100Gbps CWDM4. Leveraging the firm’s patented L-PIC, the MAOT-025402 is designed to mate with the MASC-37053A CDR (clock & data recovery chip) to form the complete high-speed transmit path for QSFP28 CWDM4 solutions.
As the growth of data traffic and demand forces Cloud data centers to rapidly scale their capabilities, MACOM is targeting the transition from 100Gbps to 400Gbps and from 4G to 5G with a cost-effective, high-performance and highly integrated interconnect chipset for CWDM4, scalable to FR4 and FR1/DR1 applications.
Core to the MAOT-025402 is the MAOP-L284CN L-PIC, which integrates four 25Gbps CWDM wavelengths in a single silicon photonic integrated circuit to communicate 100Gbps over duplex single-mode fiber. MACOM’s L-PIC platform provides a highly integrated silicon photonic solution targeting specific data-center applications that includes four CW lasers, monitor photodiodes, high-bandwidth waveguides, modulators and multiplexers. Utilizing the firm’s patented self-aligning etched facet technology (SAEFT) for precision attachment of the lasers to the silicon chip, the L-PIC platform removes the need for active laser alignment and offers what is claimed to be a significant cost reduction, enabling mainstream deployment.
“MACOM is leveraging our L-PIC platforms to enable leading scalability that meets the rapidly increasing CWDM4 module demand,” says Vivek Rajgarhia, senior VP & general manager, Lightwave, at MACOM. “The platform’s automated self-aligning calibration and firmware control is anticipated to deliver the requisite combination of scale and cost for mainstream cloud data-center deployment.”
MACOM says that its L-PIC platform delivers the bandwidth that is critical to enabling CWDM4, and is now available in a transmitter optical sub-assembly (TOSA) and at die level. Each L-PIC product includes a companion matched driver and PIC controller. Leveraging this three-device chipset, users can significantly reduce engineering risk and achieve faster time-to-market, it is claimed. The accompanying software provides automatic calibration and self-test capabilities, and greatly reduces capital investment required for production lines, the firm adds. Fully integrated and pre-assembled, MACOM’s sub-assembly platform is expected to provide the performance required for achieving 100Gbps and 400Gbps data-center links while reducing a transceiver manufacturer’s engineering and capital equipment costs, enabling an overall faster time-to-market with lower investment.
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