Coherent launches new lasers for silicon photonics transceivers
The company says its new family of continuous-wave distributed feedback indium phosphide lasers can boost power efficiency by around 15 percent compared with current standards
The materials, networking and lasers company Coherent has announced a series of new high-efficiency continuous wave (CW) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. Specifically engineered for silicon photonics transceiver modules, the company says this innovative laser family represents a leap forward in indium phosphide (InP) laser technology.
Designed to operate in the O-band (1310 nm region), the Coherent CW InP lasers aim to redefine the capabilities of silicon photonics modulators used in 800G and 1.6T optical transceivers. These transceivers are key to data transmission technology, crucially addressing the explosive bandwidth demands brought on by the rapid adoption of machine learning networks within AI-driven datacentres.
Featuring a proprietary low series-resistance design, Coherent says the CW lasers achieve approximately 15 percent greater power efficiency compared with the current industry standard, addressing the critical demand for reduced power consumption in silicon photonics transceivers, and providing customers with an edge in operational efficiency.
“Our new family of CW lasers for silicon photonics is creating a wave of excitement among industry leaders,” says Kou-Wei Wang, vice president of InP Directly Modulated Lasers & Photodiodes at Coherent. “By lowering power consumption, we’re addressing one of the most pressing challenges faced by our customers today. And with our upcoming expansion to a state-of-the-art 6-inch InP fab in Sherman, Texas, by 2026, we expect production capacity to be 5x our current production rate, a significant ramp given the complexity of this material. We are committed to leading the market with technology and supply chain capacity as our customers increase demand in the InP laser sector.”
The first offering in this laser family is a 70 mW 1310 nm laser, designed for uncooled, non-hermetic operation up to an 85°C junction temperature. Coherent plans to start commercial shipments of this laser in September 2024, and to release a higher-power laser for cooled operations, along with lasers tailored for the CWDM grid, in 2025.
The company adds that, as well as being efficient, these lasers are robust, offering exceptional reliability, thanks to the elimination of aluminium in the active quantum-well region.
Image: Coherent
