Oki develops 160 Gbit/s optical transmitter
Oki Electric, based in Tokyo, Japan, claims to have developed the world s first single-channel optical transmitter and receiver able to deliver data at 160Gbit/s over a distance of 640km (about 400 miles).
Oki developed the optical transmitter, which is capable of sending the equivalent of four movies of data in a single second, using optical time division multiplexing (OTDM) technology.
The OTDM module uses a free-space interconnected module structure for its delay-line circuit, enabling four 40Gbit/s optical modulators to utilize the space.
"As high-capacity data is transmitted in a single second, this transmitter will make a strong impact not only in the telecommunication industry, but also in digital movie distribution and the network computing industry," said Harushige Sugimoto, chief technology officer at Oki Electric.
160Gbit/s optical signals are sensitive to temperature and tremor, hampering stable long-term communication and long distance transmission. To overcome the former problem, an optical carrier phase controller monitors the relative carrier phase difference, and then sends feedback signals to modulators to revise carrier phase differences.
For long distance transmission it is preferable to generate carrier-suppressed signals that offset overlapping signals to reduce wave distortion. Oki s free-space structure OTDM module generates carrier-suppressed 160Gbit/s OTDM signals, enabling transmission over 640km.
Oki plans sell the transmitter to various research institutions as an interface to equipment for ultra high capacity data transmission.
The company plans shipment from 2005 to the worldwide market. It aims to supply the transmitter and receiver as a 160Gbit/s core communication system in the future; practical application is expected from 2010.
Representatives from Oki will demonstrate "The world s first 160Gbit/s transmission experiment conducted at an exhibition" at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition (Inter Opto) 04 in Japan this week.
