VI Systems demos 12.5G VCSEL over 1 km of OM4 multimode fiber

VI Systems GmbH has demonstrated a fiber-optic link in which its 850-nm V30-850C1SM vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) transmitted 12.5 Gbps over 1 km on Draka’s MaxCap-OM4 (50/125 μm) multimode fiber. The Technical University of Berlin, Germany provided the test bed and scientific support for the measurements.

The V30-850C1SM high-frequency VCSEL offers up to 2 mW of optical output power at about 7-mW power consumption, according to VI Systems. The operating voltage is less than 3 V, the company adds. A recent test produced energies expended per bit approaching 100 fJ/bit (femto-Joules per bit), VI Systems asserts.

VI Systems says the demonstration illustrates how singlemode VCSELs can extend the reach of multimode fiber by eliminating the impact of chromatic dispersion at 850 nm.

Optical data transmission of up to 35 Gbps has been realized with high speed photodetectors and transimpedance amplifiers from VI Systems. The V30-850C1SM chip is available in a 250x250 μm single die size or as chip array.

Target applications are proprietary optical links at 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps, Fibre Channel at 14 Gbps and 28 Gbps, Infiniband FDR (14 Gbps) and EDR (26 Gbps).

September 17, 2011

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