At the Optical Fiber Communication/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC/NFOEC 2013) in Anaheim, CA, USA (19-21 March), it has been announced that five leading global companies - Avago Technologies, Brocade Communications Systems Inc, JDS Uniphase Corp, Molex Inc, and TE Connectivity - intend to enter into a multi-source agreement (MSA) to create the CDFP (400Gbps form-factor pluggable) industry consortium to define a transceiver module/plug mechanical form factor and a host-board electrical edge connector and cage.
The new CDFP MSA is intended to specify and encourage the development and commercialization of a 400Gbps hot-pluggable module that integrates 16 transmit and 16 receive channels supporting passive and active copper cables, and active optical modules.
“This highly integrated transceiver module is expected to enable network equipment manufacturers to implement 400Gbps solutions with high port density and increased system data throughput,” says Scott Kipp, senior technologist, Brocade. “The MSA group intends to make specification details available to promote industry-wide adoption of compatible high density products.”
The CDFP MSA participants aim to provide products that are mechanically and electrically interchangeable. The project scope will specify the electrical interfaces, optical interfaces and mechanical interfaces, which may include optical connector and mating fiber-optic cable plug, electrical connector, guide rail, front-panel and host PCB layout requirements. Also, the MSA specification is expected to include thermal, electromagnetic and electrostatic discharge design recommendations.
“The collaboration is committed to enhancing customer choice and assuring interoperation and interchangeability by establishing multiple compatible sources of front-panel, hot-pluggable, 16-channel 400Gbps modules that will essentially allow the entire copper cable and fiber-optics transceiver market to grow more rapidly,” says Scott Sommers, group product manager, Molex.
