Centellax announces quad input 32 Gbaud linear modulator driver amplifier

Centellax announced the release of its new low-cost LiNbO3 quad Input 32 Gbaud linear modulator driver amplifier for DP-16QAM applications.

The OA3MMQM has excellent gain, low noise figure, low harmonic distortion, and flat group delay, making it ideally suited for advanced modulation formats at 32 Gbaud and beyond, employing Mach Zender interferometer optical modulators. The OA3MMQM addresses the needs of the 400G optical long haul transponder module manufacturers. These needs include the ability to drive 400G of data on an existing ITU long haul WDM fiber channel, implemented with 4 channels of 32 Gigasymbol/s data encoded as DP-16QAM modulation schemes.

The 16QAM signal is composed by IQ modulating 4 level PAM signals as shown in the eye diagram to the right. Because the QAM output is not saturated, but linear, there can be crosstalk issues. The inner rails of the PAM eye are even more susceptible to crosstalk than the outer rails. The Centellax OA3MMQM mitigates this with a special package design that electrically isolates each channel.

“Centellax has been a leader in 40G/100G optical modulator drivers. As the market moves to higher speeds we will continue to be on the forefront of the next generation of coherent technology. Our OA3MMQM quad linear module for 400G QAM applications will help our customers move towards advanced modulation formats at 32 Gbaud and beyond.” states Jay de la Barre, Centellax vice president of worldwide sales.

Features of the OA3MMQM include: