Topics 56Gbit/s QSFP Active Optical Cable In recent years, data centers that support cloud services have been spreading out rapidly all over the world. For server and storage systems that are used in data centers, more and more Active Optical Cables (AOC) are being installed instead of conventional electrical cables to meet the increasing demand of bandwidth and the distance between racks, blades and CPU interfaces. In order to meet this demand, Fujikura has developed a Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP) AOC that complies with Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) by applying our optical fiber and optical transceiver technologies. The AOC satisfies the characteristics specified by InfiniBandTM Trade Association (IBTA). The AOC incorporates an in-house optical engine that carries a 4-channel Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) array, a Photo Diode (PD), a VCSEL driver and a Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA) that can be operated at 14 Gbit/s (max.) per single channel. Therefore, bidirectional transmission of 56 Gbit/s (14 Gbit/s x 4 channel) is possible up to 100m. Table 1 shows the main specifications. The AOC has substantially reduced the cable weight, the cable diameter and the power consumption in comparison with conventional electrical cables, and will contribute to the simplification of wiring design and to the reduction of the environmental stress. Fig.1 shows the appearance of our AOC. A passive optical alignment between the optical fiber and the optical engine has been introduced from cost perspective. Fig.2 shows the electrical output eye pattern which satisfies the IBTA specification with a sufficient margin. Fujikura will continue to contribute to the realization of cloud service-enabled society by supplying AOCs that will be available in various protocols including InfiniBand. Table 1. Main parameter. Parameter Value Unit Form Factor QSFP+ - Data Lane Count 4 Transmitters and 4 Receivers - Maximum Transmission Data Rate 56 G (14 G per Lane) bit/s Electrical Data Interface AC coupled CML (Differential) - Electrical I/O Impednce (Typ.) 100 (Differential) ohm Wavelength (Typ.) 850 nm Cable Length 2-100 m Operating Case Temperature 0 to 70 deg.C Power Supply Voltage +3.13 to +3.47 V Power Consumption per End 0.6 (Typ.), 1.5 (Max) W 14 Gbit/s Fig. 1. Appearance. Fig. 2. Electrical output eye pattern. [Information] Datacom Products Department Cloud Communications Business Development Division Tel : +81 3 5606 1473 Fax : +81 3 5606 1598 E-mail : [email protected] 42