MultiPhy unveils world's first 100G PHY IC for metro market

ECOC 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: MultiPhy, Ltd, a global leader in DSP-based high bandwidth CMOS communications semiconductors, announced the MP1100Q, a 100Gb/s DEMUX receiver chip specifically designed to meet the low-cost and low-power needs of the quickly growing 100G metro transport marketplace.

The MP1100Q is a DSP-based 100G receiver chip incorporating an ultra-high-speed analog-to-digital converter (A/D), the world's fastest Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation (MLSE) decoder, and the DEMUX gearbox function.

The device provides a high-performance solution optimized for optical metro transport applications, such as metro dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks with link lengths of up to 800km, and point-to-point (PtP) links of up to 80km used for data center connectivity. Optical modules utilizing the MP1100Q solution can be realized in the compact form-factor, pluggable (CFP) module format, and meet the challenging cost, power dissipation and performance metrics required to enable the 100G metro business model.

"Our MP1100Q Receiver IC solution enables optical network operators with the cost and power conscious 100G metro solutions that they require for the metro optical transport market," said Avi Shabtai, CEO, MultiPhy. “The benchmark performance of the MP1100Q will allow optical module vendors to market solutions specifically for the metro. The strong response we’ve received from the industry proves that the MP1100Q is truly a transformative device."

With its high-performance MLSE DSP engine, the MP1100Q is able to mitigate the chromatic dispersion found in the deployed metro transport networks. Based on its patent-pending ‘reduced bandwidth optics with MLSE’ technology, the MP1100Q enables module and transceiver manufacturers to realize a 100G metro transport solution that utilizes low cost 10G electro-optics instead of 25G electro-optics, drastically cutting the bill-of-materials (BOM) cost of the module.

“Just as coherent-based solutions are driving the long-haul 100 Gbps market, Oclaro believes that non-coherent pluggable solutions, using parallel DWDM transmitters and unique ICs, will be a key enabler of the growing 100 Gbps metro market,” said Jim Haynes, president and GM, Photonics Components at Oclaro Inc., a tier 1 supplier of optical components, “The direct detect transmission methodology enabled by the high performance MP1100Q chip is the ideal solution for the cost-conscious and power-conscious 100G metro transport market where reaches between 40km and 800km are required.”

With the explosive growth of broadband Internet content, the capacity in the metro networks is expected to grow significantly in the next few years. The metro 100G market requires unique dedicated optical transport solutions that realize the correct cost, power dissipation and performance levels needed for widespread metro network use. MultiPhy supports this market by delivering state-of-the-art PHY ICs, pioneering the way for 100G metro systems.

The MP1100Q will sample in the next quarter to initial customers. General availability is scheduled for Q1/2012.