News: Optoelectronics
22 October 2021
Mitsubishi Electric sampling wider-temperature-range CWDM 100Gbps (53Gbaud PAM4) EML chip for data centers
Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp says that on 1 November it will begin shipping samples of its ML7CP70 100Gbps (53Gbaud) four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4) electro-absorption modulator (EML) laser diode chip for coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM), which is expected to be applied in sets of four EML chips (emitting at wavelengths of 1271nm, 1291nm, 1311nm and 1331nm) as a light source in optical transceivers for 400Gbps optical fiber communication in data centers.
Mobile data traffic volume is increasing rapidly in parallel with increasing optical fiber communication transmission rates and capacity in data centers. The high-density deployment of servers and routers in data centers, however, is creating major problems in terms of increasing power consumption.
Mitsubishi Electric says that its new ML7CP70 has a unique hybrid waveguide structure (see Figure 1) that combines a buried heterostructure laser diode (for high optical output power) and a high-mesa waveguide electro-absorption modulator (EAM) to enable a high extinction ratio and wide frequency range.
In addition, due to optimized design parameters for the laser diode and modulator sections, 53Gbaud PAM4 operation is available at temperatures ranging from 5°C to 85°C (see Figure 2).
Operability over a wider temperature range eliminates the need for chip temperature control units in optical transceivers, reducing both power consumption and costs.
By enabling low-power optical transceivers, the new CWDM 100Gbps (53Gbaud PAM4) EML chip hence helps to reduce power consumption in data centers, Mitsubishi Electric concludes.
