Finisar launches 400G QSFP-DD DR4 transceiver for data-center applications and first 64Gbaud coherent integrated assembly

At the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2018) in Rome, Italy (24-26 September), fiber-optic communications component and subsystem maker Finisar Corp of Sunnyvale, CA, USA launched several new products and gave technology demonstrations of several 200G and 400G transceivers including 400G QSFP-DD DR4, 400G QSFP-DD eLR8 (extended-reach), 200G QSFP56 FR4 and 200G QSFP56 eFR4. It also demonstrated what it claims is the first 64Gbaud integrated tunable transmitter and receiver assembly (ITTRA) and a new Flextune self-tuning feature for tunable DWDM modules.

The QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Interface Double Density) is the latest module form factor targeting 400G data rates. The design provides an eight-lane electrical interface, compared with traditional single- or four-lane interfaces, increasing bandwidth, channel capacity and port density. Defined by the QSFP-DD MSA Group, this form factor addresses the need for high-density, high-speed networking solutions in a module host that’s backwards compatible with QSFP28 and QSFP56.

QSFP56 is a form factor supporting 200G data rates. This module has the same mechanical design and electrical connector as a QSFP28 but provides a four-lane electrical interface running at 50G PAM4 (4-level pulse amplitude modulation) per channel, instead of 25G NRZ.

400G QSFP-DD DR4 transceivers

Finisar has unveiled a 400G QSFP-DD DR4 transceiver targeting parallel single-mode fiber (SMF) links in hyperscale cloud data-center applications. The demonstration showed an optical module transmitting data point-to-point over parallel SMF using four 100G PAM4 optical lanes, per the IEEE 802.3bs 400GBASE-DR4 standard. These DR4 modules can also be used in break-out applications to four 100G QSFP28 DR transceivers.

400G QSFP-DD eLR8 transceivers

Finisar gave what it claims is the first public demonstration of a 400G QSFP-DD eLR8 extended-reach transceiver, transmitting data over 30km of duplex SMF. These modules provide a cost-effective option for router-to-router or router-to-transport interconnections and use a directly modulated laser (DML)-based 8x50G PAM4 optical architecture. The demonstration showed an extension of the technology which is already in production in Finisar’s 400G CFP8 LR8 modules and which has been demonstrated in Finisar’s 400G QSFP-DD LR8 modules over 10km at March’s Optical Fiber Communication (OFC 2018) event in San Diego, CA, USA.

200G QSFP56 FR4 and eFR4 transceivers

For applications in hyperscale cloud data centers that require 200G optical connectivity, Finisar demonstrated both an IEEE Standard-based 200G QSFP56 FR4 module operating over 2km of duplex SMF and an extended-reach eFR4 version operating over 10km of duplex SMF. Both types of modules employ low-cost DML transmitters, providing cost-effective options for both standard and longer reaches.

All QSFP-DD and QSFP56 demonstrations showing error-free post-FEC transmission over fiber at the Finisar booth used Ixia’s second-generation 400GE AresONE test system, which is capable of generating 3.2Tbps of Ethernet test traffic and is based on the field-proven K400 test system.

64Gbaud ITTRA demo

Deployment of coherent optical technology is taking an increasingly important role in data-center interconnect applications. To support the market trend toward higher port densities, Finisar demonstrated a 64Gigabaud integrated tunable transmitter and receiver assembly (ITTRA), transmitting and receiving data error-free at 400Gbps using DP-16QAM modulation. The ITTRA is a complete coherent optics assembly that integrates a transmitter and a receiver into what is reckoned to be the smallest 64Gbaud footprint on the market. It can be easily integrated into coherent line cards or 400G digital coherent optics (DCO) transceivers, accelerating time to market and decreasing development and manufacturing labor costs due to fewer assembly steps and lower test times. The 64Gbaud ITTRA product complements the 32Gbaud ITTRA introduced by Finisar at OFC.

Flextune automatic wavelength tuning feature demo

Flextune is an automatic transceiver wavelength tuning feature that can significantly reduce provisioning time and operating expenses when deploying tunable DWDM transceivers. Using Finisar-patented technology, each transceiver on a DWDM optical link can self-tune to the correct wavelength determined by its physical connection to the passive mux/demux infrastructure, and without intervention by the host system or technicians. Finisar gave a functional demonstration of Flextune on duplex Tunable SFP+ transceivers, and the feature is also being implemented on bidirectional tunable SFP+ as well as on coherent transceivers.

Measurement capabilities added to optical instrumentation portfolio

Finisar also demonstrated new capabilities of the WaveShaper and WaveAnalyzer optical instrumentation portfolio. The new WaveAnalyzer GUI release 1.8 supports measurements of the side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of lasers, a key performance characteristic for such devices operating in optical communication systems. Also, release 1.8 provides an in-channel optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) measurement technique, which is important in networks with filter elements like reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs).

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Finisar launches first 400G QSFP-DD AOC and transceivers for switching and routing

Tags: Finisar 400G

Visit: www.ecoc2018.org

Visit: www.finisar.com