News: Optoelectronics
27 February 2020
II-VI launches high-speed InP electro-absorption modulated lasers for datacenters and 5G optical infrastructure
Engineered materials and optoelectronic component maker II-VI Inc of Saxonburg, PA, USA has launched high-speed indium phosphide (InP) electro-absorption modulated lasers (EML) for datacenters and 5G optical access infrastructure.
The upcoming combined demand for 400Gbps transceivers in intra-datacenters and for 25Gbps transceivers in fronthaul links to 5G antennas is rapidly driving a technology shift from directly modulated laser (DML) devices, deployed in high-volume today, to more advanced EML devices that maintain transmission reach at higher bit rates, says II-VI. The firm’s EML devices are designed for high reliability and high signal integrity, enabling transceiver modules operating at data rates of 100, 200, 400 and 800Gbps for high-speed data-center connectivity and for optical access networks that provide fronthaul, midhaul and backhaul connectivity to 5G wireless base stations.
“Our highly proprietary electro-absorption modulator monolithically integrated with the laser and designed for non-hermetic packaging differentiates our InP technology,” says Dr Charlie Roxlo, VP, Indium Phosphide Devices business unit. “Our world-class and highly reliable InP technology platform is one of the very few in the industry that has been proven with more than 100 million lasers in the field deployed over the last decades,” he adds.
II-VI’s portfolio of InP components includes Fabry-Perot lasers, DMLs and tunable lasers, as well as photodiodes for high-speed receivers and power monitoring. Lasers are available in LAN-WDM and CWDM wavelength plans. II-VI’s EMLs will be generally available in second-half 2020.
