18 March 2015

Oclaro sampling second-generation tunable SFP+ module, targeting FTTH and wireless front-haul

Oclaro Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which provides components, modules and subsystems for optical communications) is sampling its second-generation tunable SFP+ module operating at very high temperatures of up to 85°C with very low power consumption.

Building on Oclaro's history of 10G tunable dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) products, the new tunable SFP+ module delivers the size and power needed for next-generation data-center, metro and regional optical networks, the firm says. It also serves as a building block for emerging new applications such as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and 4G/5G LTE wireless front-haul networks that might require DWDM functionality in the future.

Oclaro says that tunable SFP+ modules are key building blocks for next-generation network equipment because they can reduce the size and power consumption for 10G connections while supporting the network operators' rapidly increasing bandwidth capacity needs driven by data-intense applications. The firm has been shipping its first-generation tunable SFP+ module in volume production since Autumn 2014 and is now sampling this second-generation module to key customers. The firm is showcasing its complete line of tunable laser products in booth #2011 at the Optical Fiber Communication conference & exposition (OFC 2015) in Los Angeles (24-26 March).

"To effectively address the bandwidth bottlenecks in the network caused by increased internet and mobile traffic, our customers are under constant pressure to deliver higher-density line-cards operating at high temperatures without sacrificing power and performance," says Yves LeMaitre, president of Optical Connectivity Business at Oclaro. "Our tunable SFP+ modules solve these pain points by leveraging Oclaro's indium phosphide (InP) leadership in photonic integration to achieve market-leading performance across a wide temperature range, and it also positions us well for future high-volume applications where low cost and operation at high temperatures are of the essence," he adds. 

The second-generation tunable SFP+ module is fully compliant with the SFP MSA form factor, operates below 1.5W from 0 to 70°C without CDR (clock and data recovery), and supports extended temperatures up to 85°C with a maximum power consumption of 1.8W. 

Key features of the tunable SFP+ module include:

• support for high Tx power (up to +1.2dBm); 
• support for SONET/SDH applications with CDR version; 
• multi-rate operation from 9.95Gb/s to 11.3Gb/s;
• tunability across the full C-band with 96 channels on the ITU-T 50GHz grid; and
• an avalanche photodetector (APD) supporting limiting or linear electrical interfaces.

Because tunable lasers enable network operators to easily switch between different wavelengths in order to optimize network performance, they have been rapidly replacing fixed-wavelength DWDM-XFP/SFP+ or tunable XFP modules in metro WDM networks, notes Oclaro. 

Oclaro's broad tunable SFP+ portfolio also includes zero chirp, L-band, and PIN ROSA variants.

See related items:

Oclaro exhibiting product line-up at OFC

Oclaro unveils 10G wideband tunable SFP+ module based on new InP laser platform, consuming under 1.5W at high operating temperature

Tags: Oclaro SFP+ transceiver

Visit: www.oclaro.com

Visit: www.ofcconference.org