Narda Introduces DQPSK Modulator Driver for 40 and 100 Gbps Applications
November 12, 2009 - Narda, an L-3 Communications company, has introduced the Model FO-MDA-20-25DD-1, a dual-channel DQPSK modulator driver for 40- and 100-Gbps optical transponder applications. The device has been tested at data rates as high as 113 Gbps, demonstrating “excellent performance,” the company says.
The FO-MDA-20-25DD-1 is designed to interface with a Sierra Monolithics SMI 4025 DQPSK multiplexer/clock multiplier unit on the input and an Avanex (now part of Oclaro) Mach-Zehnder lithium-niobate MZ DQPSK modulator at its output. However, other models are available with a different pitch of its output connectors so the unit can also be specified for other modulators, including those from Fujitsu. It integrates a separate channel for I and Q signals within its 36x28x8 mm package and uses GPPO connectors.
Narda is a member of the 100G Optical Networking Consortium at the Georgia Institute of Technology, which the company says allowed comprehensive measurements to be made in both simulated and real system environments. The FO-MDA-20-25DD-1 has a maximum data rate of 35 Gbps, 30 dB of gain per channel, and output of more than 8 Vpp. It is based on a new MMIC chip set developed by Narda specifically for DPSK/DQPSK applications. The current driver is housed in a metal enclosure; later versions will include surface-mountable packages tailored for high-volume production and fabricated using a low-cost PTFE microwave laminate as the packaging material.
Future configurations tailored for 100-Gbps operation include a module that will integrate all four data drivers for PD-DQPSK configuration into a single surface-mount package and can optionally include a carver clock driver as well, Narda reveals.
Engineering samples of the FO-MDA-20-25DD-1 are expected to available in the first quarter of 2010.
