Molex has announced that its VersaBeam expanded beam ferrule technology and single-mode silicon photonic active optical products will support the new MXC* fibre optic interface. These and other Molex high-speed, high-density data transmission technologies were featured at OFC 2014 held in San Francisco.
Molex joins a user community of diverse suppliers supporting the cutting-edge MXC interface targeted to meet projected demand in next-generation ‘disaggregated’ rack server and computing architectures. Supporting up to 64 optical fibres, the MXC plug and panel mount receptacle interface offers reduced component counts compared to industry standard MPO interfaces, as well as a 15 percent physical density improvement. Planned MXC products will include patch cords, MPO- and LC-to-MXC conversion cables, trunk cables and panel mount receptacles in single- and multi-mode fibre types.
Molex high-speed silicon photonics optical products with MXC plug connectors will support transmission distances of up to 4km using single-mode fibre. Molex VersaBeam expanded beam MT ferrule technology provides users with ease of use by expanding the optical beam diameter and eliminating fibre-to-fibre contact within the connector. Additionally, VersaBeam ferrule technology reduces fibre damage and cleaning requirements in the field, while improving dust and debris resistance compared to standard fibre interfaces.