NeoPhotonics lit the way to higher speed communications today with the announcement it had begun end-customer trials of its new 400-Gb/s capable transceivers.

The company's ClearLight CFP2-DCO transceiver is the first of a series of coherent modules based on NeoPhotonics' photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platform. NeoPhotonics says the technology is also the first in the industry to deliver 32 terabits of capacity per fiber enabling cloud operators and carriers to create optical interconnects with greater capacity and density and reduced complexity for high-capacity dense wavelength division multiplex (DWDM) optical networks.

The transceiver uses several of the company's technologies including an extended tuning range ultra-narrow linewidth tunable laser, a high bandwidth integrated coherent receiver, and a C++ coherent drive modulator. These technologies form a pluggable optic that supports 80 channels of 64 Gbaud data at 75-gigahertz wavelengths, and the company's latest generation of 7nm digital signal processors (DSP).

NeoPhotonics CEO Tim Jenks said the technology will increase the capacity and distance performance in a network beyond what is available today. It also promises to be quite flexible, enabling customers to tune it to meet their needs whether it's utilized in a data center application or for long-haul or regional communications.

NeoPhotonics' 400-Gb/s capable transceiver is based on the company's ultra-narrow linewidth lasers announced in September 2019. The laser is built on the company’s existing line of micro-ITLA lasers. Their key feature is its wide tuning range of 6 terahertz, which covers the full “Super C-band.” NeoPhotonics claims this range allows for 50% more spectrum to be used than a standard 80 channel, 50-gigahertz spaced laser.