News: Optoelectronics
2 November 2021
POET agrees first phase of laser supply deal for Optical Interposer platform
POET Technologies Inc of Toronto, Ontario, Canada — a designer and developer of the POET Optical Interposer and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for the data-center and telecom markets — has agreed the first phase of a supply agreement with a global supplier of lasers and other components used in high-speed optical networking equipment. The companies will collaborate on the design and production of flip-chippable continuous wave (CW) high-power lasers for use in the POET’s 400G optical engines.
In this first phase, POET will work with the supplier on a customized version of its existing flip-chippable production CW laser. The customization to the physical design would enable the existing laser to be compatible with POET’s Optical Interposer platform, which enables passive, wafer-scale hybrid integration of lasers to produce high-performance optical engines. CW lasers, combined with a silicon photonics-based modulator, will be incorporated into transmit optical engines operating at 400G speeds and beyond.
POET has issued a purchase order to the supplier for the first phase of the project, covering the design requirements and operating specs of the laser. In a subsequent phase, the supplier will build and supply known good lasers for use by POET in the production of 400G optical engines.
“The supplier’s lasers are among the most reliable high-performance lasers on the global market. Our collaboration is another example of POET engaging with well-established, highly regarded companies in our industry,” comments POET’s president & general manager Vivek Rajgarhia. “For most prospective customers, including the tier-1 network equipment suppliers and the hyperscale data-center operators, the incorporation of the supplier’s lasers in our 400G designs will significantly increase their confidence about the operating performance and reliability of our products,” he reckons. “The fact that the supplier is already producing flip-chip lasers provides POET a shorter time-to-market. If this project goes as we anticipate, we expect to have initial production chips available by mid-2022, which aligns with our roadmap for 400G optical engine beta-sample availability. This is a key move by POET to secure its laser supply in the face of a continued supply-constrained environment.”
POET reported earlier that it had received critical acclaim during the 23rd China International Optoelectronics Exhibition (CIOE 2021) and concurrent ICCSZ Conference in Shenzhen, when it demonstrated a 400G transmit engine with a silicon photonics-based modulator from Shanghai-based Silux Technologies Co Ltd.
POET launches products and Optical Interposer platform in China
POET ships first optical engine samples to customers
POET teams with Silux to demo 400G optical engine during CIOE
POET sampling 100G and 200G CWDM4 Optical Interposer-based engines from early July
