Coherent optical module developer Acacia Communications has announced the general availability of its pluggable CFP2-DCO module supporting 100Gb/s and 200Gb/s transmission.
Acacia’s new module offers several programmable modulation formats: 100Gb/s transmission using QPSK modulation for metro-core and long-haul applications; and 200Gb/s for metro-access applications using either 16QAM for backward compatibility or 8QAM for greater reach and fewer regeneration stages.
With flexibility in modulation formats, the device can address a wide range of network applications, from metro to long haul, as well as emerging applications including remote PHY and client optical interfaces up to 80km, but Acacia particularly had cloud and telecom provides in mind when it designed the module. Acacia believes that these compact pluggable modules will allow its customers to offer some of the lowest power optical transmission hardware in the industry.
The CFP2-DCO form factor, which incorporates the digital signal processor (DSP) inside the module, offers several advantages over alternative approaches. The digital host interface streamlines integration into existing network equipment without the need for complex calibration. The pluggable format means that a failure in a single module will affect only that modules’ port, not the entire line card. It also enables a pay-as-you-grow deployment model, which allows operators to defer the cost of additional ports, and the cost of the DSP, until additional bandwidth is needed.
Industry analysts are impressed by the design. “The Acacia 200Gb/s CFP2-DCO is the darling device of 2H17. It is unrivalled in performance and power consumption,” said Andrew Schmitt, founder and lead analyst, Cignal AI.
Initially sampled in 2016, Acacia’s new CFP2-DCO supports four times the faceplate density of the CFP-DCO. Acacia’s new module incorporates its internally developed Meru DSP ASIC, based on 16nm CMOS technology, as well as its silicon photonic integrated circuit. Internal Layer 1 encryption can be enabled for enhanced security applications.
Commenting on the news, Benny Mikkelsen, founder and chief technology officer of Acacia Communications, said: “Our team has done a great job to develop this low power solution, while maintaining high performance. With the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) developing a CFP2-DCO Implementation Agreement, the form factor is positioned for wide adoption in the optical networking industry and with support for up to 400Gb/s, the CFP2-DCO form factor can offer network operators a long-term return on investment.”