Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp says that on 1 June it will begin shipping a compact 40Gbps electro-absorption modulator with laser diode-transmitter optical sub assembly (EML-TOSA) for optical transmission (in the 1.55-micron wavelength band, with output power of up to 3dBm, giving a maximum transmission distance of 2km).
As of 1 March, the FU-695REA became the world’s first EML-TOSA to comply with the 40Gbps miniature device multi-source agreement (XLMD2-MSA), which was signed by Mitsubishi Electric, LAPIS Semiconductor Co Ltd, Oclaro Inc, Renesas Electronics Corp and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd and made effective as of this month. The device is being displayed at the Optical Fiber Communication conference & exposition (OFC 2013) in Anaheim, California, USA (19–21 March).
As 10Gbps optical network interfaces give way to faster 40Gbps interfaces, installations in confined spaces are requiring the use of smaller communication equipment, which has led to the need for a downsized EML-TOSA, says Mitsubishi Electric. On 13 March, Mitsubishi Electric and the four other leading optical device manufacturers announced common specifications for a compact EML-TOSA based on the XLMD2-MSA, aiming to meet the demand for smaller equipment and hence expand the market for 40Gbps EML-TOSAs.
Mitsubishi Electric expects that it will be the first optical device manufacturer to ship an XLMD2-MSA-compliant EML-TOSA for optical transmissions, helping to downsize 40Gbps communication facilities and expand high-speed 40Gbps optical transmission networks.
Mitsubishi Electric says that, as well as common-specification device sizes and optical/electrical interfaces allowing manufacturers to standardize transceiver designs, product features include less expensive electrical interconnection with flexible printed circuit board instead of coaxial connectors. Input (RF signals) is via a flexible printed circuit with a differential signal interface. Also, it should contribute to the miniaturization of optical transceivers by being 50% smaller than the firm’s existing FU-697SEA model. The package size (9.2mm x 18.1mm x 5.7mm, excluding receptacle) complies with common specifications for small CFP2/CFP4 optical-transceiver modules.
