Single-Chip Optical Transceiver Targets Light Peak Technology
Optical-fiber interfaces are the fastest but still expensive, especially for computers. Mountable on a printed-circuit board (PCB), Luxtera’s OptoPHY optical transceiver paves the way to breaking the one dollar per Gigabit/s cost barrier for faster interfaces in the near future. The OptoPHY transceivers use Luxtera’s CMOS process, which integrates the optics and electronics on a single chip.
The LUX6001 is single-channel transceiver that can operate at data rates from 1 to 10.3125 Gbits/s full duplex. It uses a 1490-nm laser and mates up with standard single-mode fiber. Its maximum reach is 4000 m, and its link bit error rate is 10–15. Its signal latency is only 1 ns for both transmit and receive. And, its short pigtail fiber cable lets users place the devices anywhere on the PCB, eliminating the need to edge-mount the device (see the figure).
Key applications include 10-Gbit/s Ethernet, optical backplanes, system interconnects, rack interconnects, and board interconnects. The transceiver is a good choice for 2- to 10-Gbit/s Fibre Channel storage-area network (SAN) equipment. Also available, the LUX6004 includes four 10-Gbit/s transceivers and provides up to 40-Gbit/s throughput with the same specifications as the single-channel unit.
The LUX6001 and LUX6004 are scheduled for production in mid-2010. A 12-channel unit is also expected next year.
Luxtera Inc.
