News: Optoelectronics
10 June 2021
MACOM and MaxLinear collaborate on 100G, 400G and 800G solutions for data-center applications
MACOM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, MA, USA (which makes semiconductors, components and subassemblies for analog RF, microwave, millimeter-wave and photonic applications) and MaxLinear Inc of Carlsbad, CA, USA, a provider of radio-frequency (RF), analog, digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits, have announced a collaboration to assure interoperability of MaxLinear’s PAM4 (4-level pulse amplitude modulation) digital signal processors (DSPs) and MACOM’s 100G/lane transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) for 100G/lambda applications. Customers can now select a proven design solution with what is claimed to be an exceptionally low bit-error rate (BER) for their optical module designs.
The collaboration includes pairing MaxLinear’s second-generation 100G Snowmass DSP (the MxL93516), with MACOM’s low-power MATA-05817 100G TIA to achieve exceptional sensitivity and a low-BER floor. This configuration is suitable for 100G-DR1/FR1/LR1 QSFP28 applications for data-center and front-haul applications.
Picture: MaxLinear PAM4 DSPs and MACOM TIAs for 100G/400G/800G optical modules.
“Our customers are requesting proven high-performance solutions,” says Marek Tlalka, senior director, High-Performance Analog, at MACOM. “This collaboration offers the industry a compelling performance proof point and a potential path to shorter design cycle times for 100G, 400G and 800G module manufacturers,” he adds.
“The market for 100G/lambda transceivers continues to grow, and performance and time to market are critical for our customers,” says Drew Guckenberger, VP of MaxLinear’s High-Speed Interconnect Group. “The pairing of our second-generation power-optimized Snowmass 100G DSP with integrated driver with MACOM’s high-performance TIAs is an ideal solution for customers, providing tight integration, proven high performance and low-power capabilities.”
The companies plan to continue collaborating on 400Gbps and 800Gbps applications utilizing the recently announced MaxLinear 5nm Keystone DSPs and MACOM’s portfolio of four-channel 400Gbps TIAs.
