Parallel-Optics Technology Expedited

Caren B. Les

Corning Cable Systems and Agilent Technologies have agreed to accelerate the use of parallel-optics technology in the communications industry, giving their joint customers access to Corning's passive optical technologies and Agilent's active 12-channel parallel-optics modules. Corning's Infinicor multimode fiber and 30-Gb/s optical modules will also be deployed. The technology solves the data capacity and space problems that characterize copper interconnects and existing optical transceivers. It is aimed at high-density interconnects for terabit switches, server-to-server backplane interconnects and low-cost SONET/SDH OC-192 very short reach connections.

Digital Optics Corp. is supplying Agilent with glass optical subassemblies for use in the parallel-optics modules' HFBR-712BP transmitter and HFBR-722BP receiver. The modules, which have a footprint of 1.5 in., operate at 2.5 Gb/s per channel and deliver a throughput of 30 Gb/s. The receiver and transmitter occupy about the same area as two 1 Gb/s small-form-factor receivers but provide 15 times the performance, according to Agilent.