OFC 2024: Trumpf, Optomind showcase 100Gbps VCSEL in 800Gbps transceiver…

27 Mar 2024

…and imec presents compact 32-channel silicon photonics-based wavelength filter.

Trumpf Photonic Components (TPC), which develops VCSEL and photodiode solutions for data communication, is this week showcasing its 100Gbps VCSEL performance at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) in San Diego, CA. The demonstration is jointly presented with customer Optomind, based in Suwon, Korea.

TPC states, “With increasing demand for multichannel high-speed data transmission in AI/ML-based hyperscale cloud computing space, 800 Gbps data rate at 100Gbps per lane and beyond is essential.”

Yung Son, Chief Marketing Officer of Optomind, commented, “We are delighted to have achieved a performance of 800Gbps in our transceiver leveraging innovative optics technology and Trumpf’s VCSEL. We look forward to solidifying our partnership with Trumpf as the strategic best-in-class VCSEL supplier for distinguished transceiver and active optical cable to our customers.”

‘Real world application’

Ralph Gudde, VP Marketing and Sales at TPC, said, “We are pleased to have collaborated with Optomind to demonstrate the performance of our VCSEL at PAM4 112Gbps/ch in their transceiver, which validates the use of it in a real-world application. A full-featured version of our 100G VCSEL is planned for production release this summer.”

The statement also noted, “Advanced optical data communication systems benefit from the high-speed data transmission which the VCSEL-based technology offers. For interconnect distances of up to 100 meters, VCSELs are the best solution in terms of power, cost and the productivity of SR modules.”

TPC is offering both VCSELs and photodiodes as a matching pair solution, in singlets, 1x4 arrays and 1x12 arrays for 14G and 25G for the NRZ applications. The same is offered for 56G PAM4 applications.

imec presents compact 32-channel silicon-based wavelength filter

Also at OFC this week, in a “top-scored paper” at the San Diego conference, tech research hub imec, is presenting an advance in silicon-based wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) capability.

imec says that its compact 32-channel silicon-based wavelength filter “is demonstrated for the first time, with low loss and high tuning efficiency, enabling a fourfold increase in the number of transmitted and received wavelength channels compared to today’s commercial transceivers.”

The demonstrated capability will enable continued scaling of the bandwidth density and power efficiency of next-generation silicon-photonics-based transceivers, addressing the requirements for short-reach optical interconnects in high-performance AI/ML compute clusters.

imec’s statement notes, “Continued scaling of optical interconnects is essential for achieving further performance and efficiency gains in AI/ML compute clusters. Silicon photonics is a key technology platform for cost-effective integration of terabit/s-scale transceivers, but the demanding requirements for bandwidth density, power efficiency, and latency in AI/ML system interconnects require substantial improvements at the process, device, and circuit level.”

By combining the advanced Si patterning capability in imec’s 300mm SiPh platform (iSiPP300) with innovative and designs of Si ring resonator and interleaver components, imec has overcome these challenges, realizing a WDM filter with 32 wavelengths at 100GHz channel spacing in the O-band (“orignal” band: 1260-1360 nm), matching the specifications of the CW-WDM multi-source agreement (MSA). Owing to the careful design optimization, low optical insertion losses of about 2dB and crosstalk levels better than 16dB are maintained, even at this high channel count.

Joris Van Campenhout, fellow and R&D program director at imec, commented, “Imec’s optical I/O R&D program aims at disruptive scaling of both bandwidth density and power consumption of silicon-integrated optical interconnects, which often present conflicting requirements. Our 32-channel WDM filter enables Tbps-scale aggregate bandwidth per optical fiber using individual lane rates of only 32Gbps, enabling error-free link operation without power-hungry digital signal processing. Leveraging its compact footprint, low optical losses, and high wavelength tuning.”