Lasers capable of transmitting signals at 224 gigabits per second

With the massive proliferation of data-heavy services, including high-resolution video streaming and conferencing, cloud services infrastructure growth in 2021 is expected to reach a 27% CAGR. Consequently, while 400 gigabit ethernet (GbE) is currently enjoying widespread deployment, 800 GbE is poised to rapidly follow to address these bandwidth demands.

One approach to 800 GbE is to install eight 100 gigabit per second (Gbps) optical interfaces or lanes. As an alternative to reduce the hardware count, increase reliability, and lower cost, a team of researchers at Lumentum developed an optical solution that uses four 200 Gbps wavelength lanes to reach 800 GbE.

To achieve high speed, high bandwidth operations, the team developed a lumped-element (LE) electroabsorption modulator-integrated distributed feedback (EA-DFB) laser capable of 2-kilometer transmission—a transmission length requirement for many modern large data centers—of 224 Gbps signals operating over a wide temperature range. Compared to a conventional EA-DFB, the LE EA-DFB's reduced capacitance and inductance resulting from design and assembly optimizations in the EA modulator improves its power and bandwidth.

Read more at Phys.org

Image Credit: Unsplash

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