Applied Optoelectronics Announces 50 Gbps PAM-4 Lasers

Applied Optoelectronics, a Texas-based provider of fibre-optic access network products, has announced the development of uncooled 50 Gigabits per second (Gbps) PAM-4 directly modulated lasers (DMLs) for its 200 Gbps and 400 Gbps optical transceivers.

“Transceivers based on directly modulated lasers are preferable in datacentres due to their low power consumption and low cost. The high linearity and low noise of our 25 GBaud DML is the key to make 50 Gbps per channel possible. With this laser, leveraging our high volume, high yield 100G transceiver platform, AOI is able to continue the technological and cost leadership that is of paramount importance to our hyperscale datacentre customers.” commented Fred Chang, the SVP and general manager of North America.

The 50 Gbps per channel lasers are produced with AOI’s in-house combination of MOCVD and MBE crystal growth techniques. The lasers feature high bandwidth, high linearity, and low noise, all of which are critical for demanding applications like 200 Gbps and 400 Gbps transceivers.

The newly developed lasers have demonstrated high extinction ratio of up to 6 dB and a highly desirable transmitter dispersion eye closure quaternary (TDECQ) value of less than 2.5dB.

All four standard coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) channels (including 1270-nm, 1290-nm, 1310-nm, and 1330-nm wavelengths) have achieved data transmission over single mode fibre lengths of 10 km.

These lasers are suitable in the production of 200G and 400G FR8 transceivers that meet the IEEE 802.3 200G / 400G Ethernet transceiver standards.

AOI will present more details on these lasers in a presentation to be given on September 20, 2017 at the ECOC Exhibition in Gothenburg, Sweden.