Altera demos first FPGAs to interoperate with 100-Gbps optical module

HONG KONG: Enabling next-generation 100-Gbps networks, Altera Corp. announced it has successfully demonstrated interoperability with a 100-Gbps optical module using its 28-nm Stratix V GT FPGAs. This is the first time an FPGA has demonstrated interoperability with a 100-Gbps optical module and illustrates Altera’s commitment to helping system engineers and manufacturers develop higher density and lower power optical networks.

This news follows Altera’s announcement in September 2011 — when Gennum and Altera demonstrated 4x25Gb/s ICs for next-generation 100Gb/s networks. Combined, both solutions enhance the company’s optical module offerings and pave the way for the industry’s adoption of 28 Gbps.

The demonstration will be showcased at the Optical Fiber Conference (OFC), being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from March 6-8, 2012, in the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) multi-vendor booth 713. The demonstration tests 28-Gbps transmission technology over 2km of single-mode (SM) fibre, utilizing Molex’s zQSFP+ Interconnect System.

The demonstration includes four channels of PRBS31 data generating within Altera’s Stratix V FPGA, which is tailored to support the most bandwidth-intensive communications systems. The data is then transmitted over a Gennum VSR host channel with 12 dB of insertion loss, through a Molex zQSFP+ connector to Gennum clock and data recovery (CDR) integrated circuits.

The retimed outputs of the CDRs are transmitted to the Molex 1490-nm Optical Module, which loops the optical data back to its receiver through 2km of SM fibre. In the receive direction, the data flows in the reverse order through the cascaded blocks ending at the FPGA. The error checkers within Altera’s FPGA verify that the entire transmit and receive data path through the system is operating error free.

With global Internet traffic expected to multiply dramatically over the coming years, significantly more bandwidth will be required, driving the need for large-scale network-upgrades. Altera’s Stratix V GT devices are designed to support 25- to 28-Gbps data streams for next-generation 100-Gbps pluggable fiber-optic modules, line cards and direct-attach copper cables using the 25G-QSFP+ and CFP2 form factors. They provide exceptional jitter performance with low power consumption.

Featuring 28-Gbps integrated transceivers, Stratix V FPGAs deliver the highest system bandwidth at the lowest power consumption, under 200 mW per channel at 28 Gbps. Stratix V FPGAs support backplane, optical module and chip-to-chip applications through 28-Gbps transceivers, and up to 66 full-duplex 14.1-Gbps transceivers. The transceivers in Stratix V GT FPGAs provide the industry’s highest system reliability with the lowest jitter.

Altera will be showcasing its latest innovations in Optical Transport Network (OTN) intellectual property (IP) and 28-nm FPGA technology at OIF in booth 2825. The company will share information on key building blocks that enable system and equipment manufacturers to develop higher density and lower power optical networks for tomorrow’s communication systems.