News Article
Opticomp & Achronix Bridge the Gap with Optical Networking Module
The joint module uses Opticomp’s TRX-04-950-15 module which transmits (and receives) 40 Gb/s traffic over a single multimode fiber. The transceiver incorporates 4 VCSELs and 4 PIN photodiode detectors.
Achronix Semiconductor and Opticomp are introducing a flexible platform for developing, characterizing, and demonstrating state-of-the-art high-speed optical data communication.
The basis of the joint program is the ‘Bridge100’ system which has already been delivered to a wide range of customers. The module is said to be unique in the industry and offers:
a. 120 Gb/s bidirectional throughput (three 40 Gb/s ports and twelve 10 Gb/s ports),
b. Additional expansion ports (80 Gb/s),
c. Additional video ports (4 HDMI Tx, 2 HDMI Rx),
d. Up to 32 GB of traffic buffering (DDR3 SDRAM at 1066 Mb/s per lane),
e. Nine SPD60 FPGAs (fully reprogrammable).
The unique combination of data bandwidth, memory bandwidth, logic capacity, and full reprogrammability results in an extremely powerful platform for ultra-high-speed data-transmission.
When used as a stand-alone test system, the primary roles of the Bridge100 for this application are data generation, formatting, and checking. When used with external traffic sources and destinations (as in an operational data network) its primary roles are classification, storage, retrieval, and transmission (according to a user-specified scheduling policy),
Opticomp’s TRX-04-950-15 module transmits (and receives) 40 Gb/s traffic over a single multimode fiber – in the form of four wavelengths of 10 Gb/s each. The transceiver incorporates 4 VCSELs, 4 PIN photodiode detectors, a CWDM multiplexer/coupler, and a CWDM demultiplexer/coupler – all in a convenient, compact assembly.
The fully programmable development system is the result of a close and productive collaboration between the two companies – each bringing its own unique expertise to the project.
Achronix is a fabless corporation based in San Jose, California. Achronix claims its Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are the world’s fastest and are capable of up to 1.5 GHz peak performance.
Opticomp develops communication products and is based in Zephyr Cove, Nevada. The firm designs and fabricates high performance integrated optoelectronics for high speed switching and data processing applications, as well as optical network technology for fault-tolerant, self-routing, and contentionless networks.
Achronix and Opticomp working together have set the standard for high-throughput digital transport and processing. The 120 Gb/s multiport system (expandable to 160 Gb/s) can be used with individual optical modules or with multiple 40Gb/s optical paths connected together into a network.
The Achronix-Opticomp solution was demonstrated at the AMAPS XI (Advanced Microelectronics and Photonics for Space) conference in Lake Tahoe, June 8-11, 2010.
The Bridge100 System and development tools are available now.
