NeoPhotonics Unveils PIC-based Products for 40 and 100 Gbps Coherent Receivers

NeoPhotonics announced two new passive “photonic integrated circuit” (PIC) based products which will be key enablers of the “coherent” optical network transmission systems for 40 and 100 Gbps networks. Coherent signal technology allows first 40 Gbps to be transmitted over DWDM channels followed by 100 Gbps later over the same channel which is now transmitting 10 Gbps signals only.

 

NeoPhotonics (News - Alert) develops and manufactures photonic integrated circuit (PIC) based components, modules and subsystems required in telecommunication networks.

NeoPhotonics Coherent Mixer and DQPSK Demodulator products offer a transparent phase for decoding within the two branches of coherent transmission systems from the 40 and 100 Gbps systems. The Coherent Mixer is essentially an optical demodulator which provides advanced demodulation for the analysis of polarization and optical phase of a phase-modulated signal.

 

Also the NeoPhotonics Coherent Mixer does not require any power and operates across the C or L band and is based on planar integration which employs high volume semiconductor production methodologies.

 

A new demodulator product was also introduced by NeoPhotonics for Differential Quaternary Phase Shift Key (DQPSK) data transmission. DQPSK systems use Delay-Line Interferometers (DLIs) for coherently mixing incoming signal with a delayed sample which eliminates the need for external optical reference.

 

NeoPhotonics’ DQPSK demodulator has two DLIs which provide in-phase and quadrature analysis of the phase-encoded signal. The demodulator is optimized for accommodating the varying nature of the received signal polarization. This ensures that the performance shows low sensitivity to polarization variations.

 

“The rapid uptake of 40 Gbps transmission on the line side, and the anticipated move to 100 Gbps in the next couple of years enables significantly greater utilization of already deployed DWDM channels, but at the same time places stringent requirements on the necessary optical components,” said Tim Jenks, Chairman and CEO of NeoPhotonics.

 

“We are pleased to support our customers with very high performance, volume scalable products that will play a key role in meeting the demand for cost-effective 40 and 100 Gbps systems,” added Jenks.

 

Ferris Lipscomb, Vice President of Marketing for NeoPhotonics explained that these demodulators were precision assemblies of passive optical components. They are used on each channel and not on each fiber and so will be required in large volumes with tightly maintained specifications. The demodulators are most suitable for photonic integration, and especially planar waveguide integration.