Release of 10 Gb/s Directly Modulated Laser Module Employing Small Surface-Mount Type(SMT) Package

"NX8340 Series"

NEC Compound Semiconductor Devices, Ltd. today announced the successful development of a 10 Gb/s directly modulated laser module for use in MAN, Metro Area Network, and 10-gigabit Ethernet^*1. Sample shipment of the new module, NX8340 series, will commence in April.

The widespread adoption of broadband services has led to a significant rise in the volume of communication traffic. In response, the speed of the standard Ethernet used by network servers and routers is increasing and fiber optic transmission equipment that support 10 Gb/s are now becoming available. The necessity for high-density mounting in these equipment has in turn led to a higher demand for smaller optical transceivers, as well as a reduction in the size and power consumption of the optical devices they incorporate.

The new module developed by NEC Compound Semiconductor Devices is ideal for mounting in a 300-pin transponder or a XENPAK, small-scale XPAK or X2 transceiver. This module employs an easy-mounting small surface-mount type package that incorporates a 10 Gb/s un-cooled directly modulated laser diode requiring and a laser driver IC. This module also employs an SC receptacle which allows simple optical coupling.

This module can be used an optical source for optical transponder and transceiver that comply with standards such as STM-64 I64.1 of ITU-G.691, OC-192 SR-1 of SONET (Synchronous Optical NETwork) and 10GBASE-LR/LW of IEEE802.3ae 10-gigabit Ethernet, and supports transmission up to 12 km.

The new laser module has the following major features.

	(1)	10 Gb/s un-cooled laser diode The module incorporates a newly developed 1.3 um directly modulated distributed-feedback (DFB) laser diode with a superior 10 Gb/s transmission performance and excellent temperature characteristics. This laser diode also operates without temperature control within a temperature range of 0 to 75°C, enabling a reduction in size and power consumption compared with conventional external modulated laser modules in which temperature control is required.
	(2)	Small surface-mount type package The NX8340 series employs a 19-pin surface-mount type package with dimensions of 11.0 (L) x 9.6 (W) x 4.0 (H) mm3 (the smallest in the industry) and features leads on the base. This SMT package enables easier mounting on the board. This package also includes a monitor photodiode, a thermistor, and an optical isolator, in addition to a laser diode and laser driver IC.
	(3)	SC receptacle The SC receptacle adopted by the laser module supports small-scale transceivers such as XENPAK, XPAK, and X2, and allows direct attachment of an optical connector. A pigtail type interface with an SC optical connector is also provided for 300-pin transponder applications.
	(4)	Built-in laser driver IC The package incorporates a laser driver IC with +5 V of supply voltage, enabling easy interfacing with peripheral circuits. The signal input is a differential input with 50 W impedance, and pins for controlling and monitoring the laser bias current and modulation current are also provided. A product that features a built-in laser driver with a supply voltage of 3.3 V is also slated for release in the near future.
	(5)	Lineup In addition to the small built-in laser driver IC surface-mount type package, NEC Compound Semiconductor Devices also plans to release a transmitter optical sub-assembly (TOSA) DFB module (NX8341U Series) that employs a 5.6 mm LC receptacle without a built-in laser driver.

Product list

Part Number	Package	Optical Interface	Sample Shipment	Sample Unit Price
NX8340ME	SMT	SC receptacle	From April 2003	120,000 yen
NX8340MD-CC	SMT	SC pigtail	From April 2003	120,000 yen
NX8341U Series	TOSA	LC receptacle	From May 2003	70,000 yen

Application

Product	Type No.	Application
DFB pigtailed module with Drv. IC (5V)	NX8340MD-CC	SONET OC-192 SR-1 SDH STM-64 I-64.1 IEEE 803.2ae(10GbE) 10GBASE-LR/LW
DFB SC receptacle with Drv. IC (5V)	NX8340ME
DFB-5.6 can based LC receptacle w/o Drv. IC	NX8341U Series