News: Optoelectronics
10 June 2021
MACOM launches two-chip analog solution for 200G and 400G short-reach modules and AOC applications
MACOM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, MA, USA (which makes semiconductors, components and subassemblies for analog RF, microwave, millimeter-wave and photonic applications) has announced the availability of its two-chip analog solution for 200G and 400G short-reach modules (QSFP, OSFP, QSFP-DD) and active optical cable (AOC) applications in the data center. The chipset is said to deliver better than IEEE standard specified bit-error rate (BER) performance and is compliant with Open Eye multi-source agreement (MSA) eye mask specifications.
The chipset consists of two integrated combo devices:
- MATA-38044, a 4x56Gbps PAM-4 CDR (clock & data recovery) and TIA (transimpedance amplifier);
- MALD-38045, a 4x56Gbps PAM-4 CDR and vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) driver.
The MATA-38044 is a four-channel 28GBaud linear PAM-4/NRZ TIA with automatic gain control and integrated CDRs. The MALD-38045 is a four-channel 28GBaud PAM-4/NRZ VCSEL driver with an integrated CDR designed to directly modulate VCSELs in the transmit path of optical modules. Each of the four channels can operate independently. Both devices consume what is claimed to be industry-leading low power and can operate at Ethernet, Fibre Channel and InfiniBand PAM-4 and NRZ data rates up to 56Gbps.
The two-chip analog solution provides an alternative to traditional digital signal processing (DSP)-based technology. It has lower power consumption, lower latency, lower cost and requires a smaller footprint compared with a DSP-based solution, MACOM says.
At the Optical Networking and Communications Conference (OFC 2021) being held virtually on 7–10 June, MACOM is hosting virtual demonstrations highlighting the chipset’s standard compliance and interoperability with Ethernet switches.
