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Today's approach to increase the capacity of switching and routing equipment in the central office is to stack additional hardware and interconnect this hardware using lower density components. The newly-released AraLight-36 series Transmitter/Receiver pair offers a better solution to high-bandwidth switching. The ARL-36 series is designed for dense, short-reach optical backplane applications. Each module either transmits or receives parallel data streams through 36 multimode fibers. Each input/output fiber supports a data rate of up to 3.125 Gbps, which results in an aggregate data rate of more than 100 Gbps over a distance of up to 300 meters in standard 50-micron multimode fiber. Transmission distances in excess of 500 meters can be achieved by using premium multimode fiber.
Benefits
Space and power limitations at the central office significantly constrain design and architectural choices for networking equipment makers. Transmission and processing capacity is limited by the size and power consumption of such equipment. These constraints must be passed down from the carriers to the networking OEMs and ultimately to the component vendors.
By reducing both size and power required for transmission of extremely large amounts of data, the ARL-36 Series modules enable the design of a more efficient networking equipment which saves capital and operational expenditures for carriers.
A recent study of a terabit-class switching system concluded that multiple bays of electronic hardware could be eliminated by employing design architecture using AraLight ARL-36 Series, resulting in:
- A 50% reduction in size or 2x increase in capacity for a given footprint
- A 30% reduction in power consumption
Using AraLight's built-in diagnostics, networking OEMs can develop system-level monitoring tools that will enable carriers to efficiently identify and correct faults
in real time. A hot pluggable electrical connector improves module reliability by eliminating IR reflow exposure as well as allows for flexible inventory control.
Features
High Aggregate Data Rate - AraLight's ARL-36 Series uses 36 channels operating at up to 3.125 Gbps each, thereby achieving an aggregate data rate of 112.5 Gbps.
Small Form Factor - Highly integrated, small form factor components enable switch manufacturers to pack more functionality into less space, reducing the number of cards, shelves and bays required in the central office. AraLight's proprietary integration processes enable you to achieve extremely compact form factors. With the aerial dimension of less than 2.5 square inches and the height of 0.6 inches, the ARL-36 Series modules offer the highest data rate per unit area in the industry, allowing designers to maximize their efficiency in the use of precious circuit board space.
Improved Fiber Management - The input/ output interface of
the modules consist of three standard MT-type 12 fiber ribbon connectors that enable designers to pack the 36 multimode fibers into a small portion of the circuit card's edge. Another option allows for a 36-fiber ribbon connector, further reducing required space on the circuit card's edge by a factor of 3.
Low Power Consumption - It has been estimated that over 50%
of a service provider's yearly operating expense can be attributed
to power consumption for operating and cooling of network equipment. Two problems contribute to power consumption: circuits that support large electrical bandwidths tend to require large amounts of power and inefficient use of power results in a large amount of waste heat that is generated by the system. The ARL-36 Series' high level of integration and miniaturization is manufactured to exhibit exceptionally low levels of power consumption.
System-Level Monitoring Tools - AraLight has developed a set of intelligent features for its modules that give users the ability to manage bandwidth. For example, AraLight supports performance monitoring of every channel in the module, which provides information on laser status and loss-of-signal. Additional information on critical parameters such as temperature and laser-drive current is also provided through a combination of digital and analog interfaces. In addition the ARL-36 Series supports safe shutdown in compliance with advanced laser-safety needs.
Scalability - The two-dimensional design of AraLight's ARL-36 Series affords a high degree of scalability with a minimum increase in form factor. While the current parallel optics designs limit the size to 1x12 (1 row, 12 channels) fiber bundles, the ARL-36 Series has been scaled in a second dimension to 3 rows of 12 VCSELs, detectors and their corresponding drive circuitry. The scalability of AraLight's products enables the addition of bandwidth through both increased channel rate and a number of channels to support ever-increasing demands on aggregate bandwidth.
Hot Pluggable Connector - Eliminates the risk of damage during the soldering and washing steps of standard assembly techniques by dropping modules into place late in the manufacturing cycle.
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