MACOM Debuts Silicon Photonics Integrated Circuits for Datacenter Applications

LOWELL, MA: MACOM Technology Solutions, a provider of Next Generation Internet, High Performance RF, and photonic semiconductor devices– unveils new MAOP-L284CN L-PIC that integrates LASERS with silicon photonic integrated chips(IC’s) for a 100Gbps transmit solution for CWDM4(coarse wavelength-division-multiplexing) and CLR4(Fiber Interface for data transmission) applications.

To overcome the data traffic by major internet providers, such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Facebook hyper-scale data centers are need to be built, which require high speed inter-connect solutions that are power efficient, compact and cost optimized. Macom’s L-PIC (Programmable Intelligent Computer) can have millions of virtual servers and can accommodate increased computing demands.

L-PIC is built on MACOM’s Etched Facet Technology (EFT), lasers are attached to the Silicon PIC using its proprietary Self-Alignment process (SAEFT), which offers a power efficient solution at reduced manufacturing cost.

MAOP-L284CN

MAOP-L284CN features four high bandwidth Mach-Zehnder modulators integrated with four lasers (1270, 1290, 1310, and 1330 nm) and a CWDM (Coarse wavelength division mux) multiplexer, with each channel operating at up to 28 Gbps. The L-PIC operates on a standard single mode optical fiber, and includes integrated tap detectors for fiber alignment, system initialization and closed loop control. A single fiber aligned to the output edge coupler of this 4.1 x 6.5 mm die is the only optical requirement for implementing this device into QSFP28 transceiver applications. MACOM is also offering the MASC-37053A modulator driver integrated with CDR, matched with this L-PIC for optimized performance and power dissipation.

“Silicon-based photonic integrated circuits, or PICs, enable integration of optical devices such as modulators and multiplexer onto a single chip. We believe that MACOM’s L-PIC solves the key challenge of aligning lasers to the silicon PIC with high yield and high coupling efficiency, making the adoption of Silicon PICs a reality for high-speed optical interconnects within the Datacenter,” says Vivek Rajgarhia, Vice President of Strategy, High-Speed Networking,MACOM.