The InfiniFlame 12X transceiver brings new life to the popular Infini-Band optical standard. XLoom Communications developed this short-range serial transmission technology, which connects servers and other networking equipment in a data center. While InfiniBand's 1X (2.5 Gbits/s) and 4X (10 Gbits/s) solutions have been available for a while, XLoom's 12X (30 Gbits/s) gives users an affordable, faster option.
The InfiniFlame 12X uses XLoom's proprietary silicon optics. At its heart lies an opto-electric chip made with the company's wafer-level and micro optics using a standard semiconductor process (see the figure). Its 12 channels of 2.5-Gbit fiber optics provides a raw data rate of 30 Gbits/s per I/O port. Its 8B/10B encoding supports a net data rate of 24 Gbits/s.
The transmitting side uses a dozen 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with an average launch power of 2.5 dBm. The receive side employs an array of PIN diodes.
Sensitivity is 85 µW. The transceiver works with standard 50/125- and 62.5/125-µm multimode fiber. The range is 75 m with the 62.5/125-µm cable and up to 200 m with the 50/125-µm cable. The package is a hot-pluggable XFP with a 30-pin XFP edge connector.
The InfiniFlame 12X also offers an I2C interface for management, a 3.3-V power supply, and PECL data I/O with ac coupling. The I/O is compatible with low-voltage differential signaling and current-mode logic. And, the 12X dissipates 2.5 W per port. Look for applications of this technology using longer-wavelength VCSELs in Ethernet and other optical systems.
Samples of the product will be available in the first quarter. Contact XLoom for pricing and availability details.
XLoom Communications Inc.
www.xloomcom.com
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