Trumpf and KDPOF unveil “new standard in optical data communication”
At ECOC in Glasgow this week, Trumpf Photonic Components and KDPOF unveil what is believed to be the first 980nm multi-gigabit interconnect system for automotive systems. The 980nm wavelength VCSELs for higher robustness and implement a new standard in optical data communication in this sector, said the companies.
“After a long-term co-operation, it’s great to have entered the stage where we can prove to end-users the true strength of 980nm optical interconnects,” says Ralph Gudde, vice president marketing and sales at Trumpf.
The large amount of data that must be processed in cars today means that optical interconnects are required to manage the data flow as a nervous system, connecting sensors and electronic brains. At the same time, strict EMI requirements must be met.
Trumpf and KDPOF entered a strategic partnership in 2022 to combine knowledge in the field of components and networks for data communication. Now, significant progress has been made, say the pair, with the first implementation of the new IEEE Std 802.3cz (nGBASE-AU), consisting of a transceiver that integrates electronics, photonics, and optics in a single IC component. Evaluation kits will soon be available for OEMs to test, confirmed the partners.
The IEEE Std 802.3cz standard focuses on highly reliable conditions that enable lifetimes of 15 years and more, with low cost and high-volume implementations, explained Rubén Pérez-Aranda, CTO at KDPOF.
Automotive applications require not only a much wider range of operating temperatures, reaching from -40 to +125 degrees C but also a low interconnect length of less than 40 meters. For superior robustness against wear and random failures, 980nm VCSEL was approved as the wavelength to become the new standard. Besides its performance characteristics, 980nm suits the existing OM3 fibres with low dispersion loss, said KDOPF.
Visit TRUMPF Photonic Components (booth 641) and KDPOF (booth 937) at ECOC 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland, 01 to 05 October.
