At the OFC/NFOEC 2013 show in Anaheim (19-21 March), optical components, modules and subsystems developer Oclaro Inc of San Jose, CA, USA is highlighting its 100G networking expertise with a live demonstration of its LR4 CFP2 transceiver in booth 2701, several new product introductions, and participation in six panel discussions and various technical paper presentations.
Oclaro says that CFP2 transceiver technology is being widely adopted in optical networks because it features low power consumption in a form factor that is half the size of first-generation CFP products. The live demo demonstrates interoperability with a Xilinx Virtex-7 HT FPGA (field-programmable gate array) and is reckoned to be the first demonstration featuring an MSA-compliant CFP2 and an FPGA with a direct 25Gbps x 4-channel electrical interface according to the recently released OIF CEI-28G-VSR specifications. Using a direct electrical interface without a separate gearbox lowers the overall system cost and is expected to accelerate the overall deployment of 100Gbps client-side interfaces.
“To deliver on the promise of 100G and beyond, our customers are demanding higher density, lower power and increased performance — all of which are enabled by higher-data-rate solutions such as CFP2 transceivers,” says Tadayuki Kanno, president, Oclaro Japan Inc & general manager, Modules & Devices business unit.
“By using the Xilinx Virtex-7 HT FGPA and Oclaro CFP2 optical modules at 25.78Gbps, we have demonstrated a robust integration of 100G networking systems through real-world CFP2 implementations,” says Gilles Garcia, Xilinx’s director of Wired Communications. "Reducing bill of material cost, power, footprint and board complexity are achieved through the combination of Xilinx 28Gbps-capable GTZ transceivers and Oclaro optics, thereby enabling the move towards a smarter network.”
Announced last September, Oclaro’s CFP2 transceiver is roughly 50% the size of all other CFP solutions on the market, claims the firm, increasing system front-panel port density from 4 ports to 8 ports. The smaller size is achieved by reducing the number of electrical lanes from 10 to 4 by applying a 25Gbps per channel electrical interface instead of 10Gbps and hence removing the gearbox from the module. To achieve the smaller size, more integrated in-house optical components are used, based on Oclaro's optical device technologies. In addition, the CFP2 transceiver can optically interoperate with first- and second-generation CFP transceivers, allowing users to quickly and cost-effectively transition to CFP2 designs as market requirements evolve. The CFP2 is designed to be fully compliant with the relevant MSA, IEEE and ITU-T specifications.
Oclaro’s participation on OFC/NFOEC panels
During OFC/NFOEC, Oclaro is speaking on six industry panels and presenting several technical papers, some of which are highlighted below:
18 March (16:00) – ‘Executive Forum: The Future of the Optical Component Industry’, speaker: CEO Alain Couder;
18 March (9:30) – ‘Executive Forum: Building Massively Scalable Optical Networks’, moderator: Per Hansen, VP product marketing Optical Network Solutions;
19 March (12:00) – ‘VIP Industry Leaders Networking Event’, speaker: Per Hansen, VP product marketing Optical Network Solutions;
18 March (9:00) – ‘Workshop: Can Access Networks Afford to be Wavelength Agile’, speaker: Robert Blum, director product marketing Photonic Components;
19 March (15:00) – ‘Market Watch: High Speed Pluggable Optics for Data Center’, speaker: chief commercial officer Yves LeMaitre;
20 March (13:00) – ‘Market Watch: Components looking for the Booster Rocket’, speaker: Robert Blum, director product marketing Photonic Components;
20 March (09:15), Paper – ‘Uncooled (0 to 85°C) and full C-band Operation of a 10.7 Gbit/s InP Mach-Zehnder Modulator Monolithically Integrated with SOA’, speaker: A. Nakamura, Oclaro Japan;
21 March (14:15), Paper – ‘C-band Operation of LGLC Tunable Laser with Low Filter Current and with Stable SMSR against Filter Deviation’, speaker: A. Nakamura, Oclaro Japan.
