9 March 2016

MACOM launches first CWDM4 L-PIC for 100G data-center applications

M/A-COM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, MA, USA (which makes semiconductors, components and subassemblies for analog RF, microwave, millimeter-wave and photonic applications) has launched the MAOP-L284CN, a 4-channel, 28Gbps silicon photonic integrated circuit (PIC) integrated with lasers (L-PIC) to provide a driverless 100G transmit solution for CWDM4 and CLR4 applications.

To meet the explosive growth of data traffic driven by video and mobile, major Internet content providers (such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Facebook) are building hyper-scale data-centers, which require high-speed interconnect solutions that are power efficient, compact and cost optimized. MACOM says that its Etched Facet Technology (EFT) continuous-wave (cw) lasers are attached to the silicon PIC using its proprietary self-alignment process (SAEFT) with high coupling efficiency, offering a power efficient solution at reduced manufacturing cost.

Picture: MACOM's new L284CN 4-channel, 28Gbps L-PIC.

The MAOP-L284CN features four high-bandwidth Mach-Zehnder modulators integrated with four lasers (with wavelengths of 1270, 1290, 1310 and 1330nm) and a CWDM multiplexer, with each channel operating at up to 28Gb/s. The L-PIC operates on a standard single-mode optical fiber, and includes integrated tap detectors for fiber alignment, system initialization and closed-loop control. A single fiber aligned to the output edge coupler of this 4.1mm x 6.5mm die is the only optical requirement for implementing this device into QSFP28 transceiver applications. MACOM is also offering the MASC-37053A modulator driver integrated with CDR, matched with this L-PIC for optimized performance and power dissipation.

"MACOM's L-PIC solves the key challenge of aligning lasers to the silicon PIC with high yield and high coupling efficiency, making the adoption of silicon PICs a reality for high-speed optical interconnects within the datacenter," says Vivek Rajgarhia, VP of strategy, High-Speed Networking, for MACOM.

The new L-PIC is on display for private demonstrations in MACOM's booth (#3101) at Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Exposition (OFC 2016) in Anaheim, CA, USA (22-24 March).  

Tags: M/A-COM QSFP28

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Visit: www.macom.com/opto