VI Systems 850 nm VCSEL transmits record 25 Gbit/s
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA have demonstrated a plastic optical fibre (POF) data link using a VI Systems ultrahigh-speed 850 nm VCSEL to transmit data at 25 Gbit/s over a distance of 100 metres. POFs are more typically used at lower data rates from 50 MBit/s to 1 Gbit/s in automotive and home network applications and with light near 650 nm. The error-free transmission (defined as a bit error ratio less than 10-12) used an 80 μm-diameter core POF and reached coupling tolerances as high as ~35 µm. This is another important milestone proving the applicability of advanced VCSELs for low cost high-speed optical data transmission over 100 metre distances. Optical data transmission of up to 40 Gbit/s has been realised with high speed photodetectors and transimpendance amplifiers by VI Systems. The V40-850C chip is available in a 250 x 250 µm single die size or as 1x4-channel or 1x12-channel chip array. The target applications are proprietary optical links and active optical cables at 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s, Fibre Channel at 14 Gbit/s and 28 Gbit/s, and Infiniband FDR (14 Gbit/s) and EDR (26 Gbit/s) applications. Product samples are available now. VI Systems will present an update on its VCSEL and photodetector technology at the Fibre Channel Industry Association meeting, June 8-12, 2011 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA.
