ECOC 2015: industry group demonstrates 400G 'ecosystem'

30 Sep 2015

400G LiNbO₃ modulator and 56/64 Gbaud test kit show improved capability for high Baud-rate communications.

Research and development groups across the globe are working to achieve higher and higher optical data transmission rates. High bandwidth signal generation and analysis tools are essential to development of the new technologies, components, and higher-order modulation formats being investigated to support the insatiable global demand for bandwidth.

Now a photonics communications consortium comprising Teledyne LeCroy, Coherent Solutions, Oclaro and Anritsu EMEA has demonstrated the industry's first commercially available R&D platform for testing single-carrier coherent optical communication systems and components operating at over 56GBaud. The technical achievement was performed this week at ECOC 2015 in Valencia, Spain.

The ECOC 2015 demonstration is intended to showcase how higher baud-rate optical signals can be reliably generated, optimized, and analyzed through the careful integration of leading-edge equipment from the right suppliers.

How it works

The 56GBaud electrical signals are generated by Anritsu's MP1800 Signal Quality Analyzer used in combination with its MP1861A MUX. The 40GHz IQTransmitter from Coherent Solutions translates this into an emulated dual-polarization optical signal, enabled by the integration of Oclaro's 400G single carrier LiNbO₃ modulator.

The performance of the optical transmission system is then analyzed by the Teledyne LeCroy LabMaster 10-65Zi-A OMA system incorporating the new IQS70 70GHz Coherent Optical Receiver and OpticalLinQ software.

Anritsu's MP1800A Signal Quality Analyzer is a Bit Error Rate Tester that offers a comprehensive suite of testing capabilities to support complete Signal & Transmission Integrity Analysis. Anritsu’s MP1800A Signal Quality Analyzer's features include analyzing signal waveform quality, extremely low intrinsic jitter and fast transition times, multichannel generation and analysis, integrated full Jitter Tolerance stress generation, 4Taps Pre-Emphasis, PAM4 and PAM8 Converters.

Wider test capabilities

Anritsu has also announced another development for this platform to cover signal generation, analysis and jitter tolerance testing up to 64.2Gbps, as a solution for R&D on signal transmission up to 1Tbps. The company says this is a critical capability for the investigation of higher order modulation formats such as 16-QAM.

The 40GHz IQTransmitter from Coherent Solutions provides research, development, and production environments with a stable, coherently modulated optical signal for component and system characterization. Andy Stevens, CEO of Coherent Solutions, “We are very pleased to be able to show-case our new release of the IQTX-40 in this system which sets a new standard for high baud-rate optical signal generation and analysis instrumentation."

The Oclaro 400G external modulator is the industry's first such device designed to enable 400G and above on a single wavelength or carrier. Adam Carter, Chief Commercial Officer at Oclaro, commented, “By eliminating the need to use two wavelengths with the 16-QAM modulation format, Oclaro's new modulator will enable customers to accelerate the design and test of next generation, high speed 400Gb/s networks."

Teledyne LeCroy's Optical Modulation Analysis solution provides the industry's best performance by combining the highest bandwidth with the most flexible analysis. The 70GHz bandwidth IQS70 Coherent Optical Receiver integrates seamlessly with the world-leading LabMaster 10Zi-A oscilloscope and OpticalLinQ software, delivering the most complete optical modulation analysis package.

"Consistent bandwidth leadership means Teledyne LeCroy oscilloscopes have become crucial tools for those pushing the boundaries of optical communications technology," said Patrick Connally, Product Manager for high-performance oscilloscopes at Teledyne LeCroy. "Our complete optical modulation analysis solution, including our new IQS receivers, enable us to continue that trend in this leading-edge development platform."

About the Author

Matthew Peach is a contributing editor to optics.org.