Optical Components

ProLabs has formed a new partnership with global networking giant Mellanox to manufacture a range of compatible coded direct attachment cables (DAC) capable of connecting Mellanox switches and network interface cards (NIC) to non-Mellanox devices.

Optoscribe, a specialist in 3D waveguide technology, has released a significant upgrade to its 3D MMux photonic lantern – a device that provides an interface between singlemode and multimode components used in spatial division multiplexing (SDM).

The upgraded product has been designed and tailored to suit the latest high-performance, low-differential group delay (DGD) few mode fibre technology from OFS, without requiring any external optics.

Molex has introduced new high-speed low-loss flex circuit assemblies, developed using DuPont Pyralux TK flexible circuit material. The assemblies are ideal for electronic data transmission applications such as servers and high-end computing, storage servers and signal processing, the company says.

M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings (MACOM), has announced initial production shipments of two new modulator drivers for use in CFP2 analogue coherent optical (ACO) modules.  The CFP2 ACO enables significantly lower cost per bit in metro applications where lower power and smaller size enable higher port densities.

Oclaro is now sampling what it says is the industry’s first SFP28-LR transceiver capable of transmitting 28Gb/s data rates over 10km with approximately 1W power consumption. Prototypes of the new SFP28-LR transceiver were demonstrated at the OFC show in Los Angeles, California, in the Oclaro booth #2011.

Finisar launched multiple new products at OFC 2015, including a variety of optical modules based on the 100G QSFP28 form factor, as well as a 25 Gigabit Ethernet SFP28-SR transceiver based on the SFP+ form-factor.

Optical and semiconductor supplier M/A-COM Technology Solutions (MACOM), has unveiled a linear externally modulated laser (EML) driver IC that is designed to enable 400G optical modules based on higher-order modulation formats.

The MAOM-003115 is a compact and high-bandwidth linear EML driver which can deliver up to 2Vpp single-ended output. This surface mount device offers variable gain control and excellent linearity over the operating range. The driver has been used to demonstrate a 400Gbps link over 2km of singlemode fibre using four wavelengths, each running at 100Gbps.

NeoPhotonics will demonstrate a 16x16 multicast switch (MCS) without drop-side amplifiers on March 26 at OFC 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The 16x16 MCS comprises four modular, low-loss 4x16 MCSs which can be cascaded to encompass 16 directions. The demonstration is intended to show how the low insertion loss of the MCS, when combined with a high-sensitivity coherent receiver, can eliminate the need for drop-side amplifiers in metro networks.

Optical subsystems developer Kaiam has announced availability of its 100Gb/s QSFP28 transceiver. The uncooled CWDM transceiver is aimed at optical modules based on the CWDM4 and CLR4 multi-source agreements (MSA) for low-cost data centre applications.

Both the transceiver and 4x25Gb/s transmitter and receiver optical sub-assemblies (TOSA/ROSAs) are now sampling to select customers with volume production expected later in the year.

At the OFC Exhibition next week, VI Systems will present a set of transmitter and receiver optical subassemblies (TOSA/ROSA) and the related building blocks for the next generation of 25 Gigabit Ethernet short-reach optical transceivers.

The components on display include the 25Gb/s TOSA with part number T25-850 and 25Gb/s ROSA with part number R25-850. VI Systems say these building blocks will enable a new generation of short-reach 25 Gigabit Ethernet optical receivers in a high-performance small form factor SFP28 package or for on-board assemblies.