Plastic optical fiber (POF) transmits 25 Gbps using 850 nm VCSEL

Berlin, Germany--Although plastic optical fiber (POF) is typically used for lower data rates from 50 megabits per second (Mbit/s or Mbps) to 1 gigabit per second (Gbit/s or Gbps) in automotive and home network applications using laser sources near 650 nm, optical data transmission over POF at 25 Gbps was just demonstrated using an 850 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) from VI Systems. The Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA; www.gatech.edu) demonstrated the error-free 25 Gbps data transmission over a 100 m, 80 μm diameter corePOF link. The coupling tolerances to reach error-free transmission (defined as a bit error ratio <10-12) were as high as approximately 35 µm.

This milestone demonstrates the applicability of advanced VCSELs for low-cost, high-speed optical data transmission over 100 m distances. Optical data transmission of up to 40 Gbps has been realized with high-speed photodetectors and transimpendance amplifiers from VI Systems. The V40-850C chip is available in a 250 x 250 µm single die size or as 1x4-channel or 1x12-channel chip array.

Target VCSEL applications are active optical cables and optical links at 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps, Fibre Channel at 14 Gbps and 28 Gbps, and Infiniband FDR (14 Gbps) and EDR (26 Gbps) applications. VI Systems will present an update on their VCSEL and photodetector technology at the Fibre Channel Industry Association meeting, June 8-12, 2011 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA.

VI Systems GmbH is a fabless developer and manufacturer of optical engines and optoelectronic components for communication, industrial, and consumer applications.

SOURCE: VI Systems; www.v-i-systems.com/presse_e/detail.php?nr=923&rubric=Presse_en&