Named SCINTIL Comb Laser Source, it is the first fully integrated single chip that achieves 100-GHz frequency spacing, which is half to one-quarter of the spacing available today, according to the company. One of its key advantages is its very narrow controlled channel spacing, an important capability for increasing the number of optical carriers in a single fiber.

“We are thrilled to showcase our latest innovation at OFC 2023,” said Sylvie Menezo, CEO of Scintil Photonics. “Increasing computing capacity requires connecting larger networks of computing units with higher transmission rates. In order to  achieve this with sustainable energy efficiency, fiber optic transmission links are used with multiple optical carriers multiplexed on one single fiber. We have succeeded in implementing a comb laser source with only 100 GHz spacing between each optical carrier. This offers at least twice the number of optical carriers compared to what appears to be available today, and therefore enables doubling the transmission speed. Leading customers are currently evaluating our solution.”

The increasing demand for high-performance computing and AI applications has led to the  need for faster and more efficient optical interconnects. The chip enables the use of uncooled dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) links in short-reach transmissions, with optical carriers twice as dense (100 GHz versus 200 GHz spacing).  

“The Scintil integrated team did an excellent job at every step, from the design of the chip to  the packaging and the electronics for a complete solution, with additional locking functions. Thanks to our CMOS commercial foundry, we anticipate ramping up volume by Q4, 2024. We  think that our technology will be a game-changer in the field of interconnects for high-performance computing and AI applications,” Menezo added.