New MCP chip from Zarlink packs transceivers for optical fiber communications

The new Multi-Chip Module (MCP) from Zarlink packs optical components such as multi-channel optical light source, optical detector chips, array electronic transmitter, and receiver ICs. This device called optical engine can send data at a rate 40-120 Gbps mainly for use in high traffic data centers.

Zarlink puts dense, compact array-fiber transceivers on a flip-chip glass sub-component carrier with an external array-fiber coupler.

The ZOE platform terminate 40-120 Gbps full bidirectional optical links or array unidirectional (e.g. HDMI) or serial function. For a 4x10 Gbps applications, the ZOE 7x7 mm surface-mountable chip carrier dissipates 480 mW. Zarlink claims this is the industry's highest footprint density per gigabit to highlight its importance in saving the power.

"ZOE meets an immediate demand for low-power, highly efficient interconnect solutions to support the evolution of 'green' data centers and computer clusters," said Mauricio Peres, product line director with Zarlink's Optical Products group. "We are expanding our optical portfolio with new dense multichip products that address key customer concerns, such as signal integrity for multiple 10G links, power per bit and cost per bit. The ZOE platform initially targets InfiniBand QDR and 40G/100G Ethernet applications, and will become the industry standard array-fiber optical sub-assembly."

"ZOE's precision aligned optical source and receive arrays enable simple optical coupling to standard fiber ribbon cables in a proven-reliable non-hermetic package," said Bertil Kronlund, product line manager with Zarlink's Optical Communications product group. "ZOE is the industry's first optical engine produced using wafer-scale assembly. The precision of the flip chip assembly approach enables ultra-compact size and form factors supporting multi-channel data rates to 25 Gbps per channel up to 300 Gbps aggregate of full bidirectional data traffic."

ZOE has solder bumps to connect to the PCB. ZOE target applications include array-active optical cables and array-receptacle transceivers for InfiniBand QDR (4x10 Gbps), 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet, 12-channel InfiniBand CXP, high-speed network protocols, CFP short reach, Display Port, and other PC platform applications, such as Intel's Light Peak.

Availability: Now
For more details visit www.zarlink.com