OpenLight has announced the sampling of its 1.6Tbps DR8 photonic integrated circuits (PICs), marking a major step forward in silicon photonics for data center and AI infrastructure. Built on Tower Semiconductor’s PH18DA process and featuring OpenLight’s heterogeneously integrated 1310nm distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and 224G InP-based electro-absorption modulators (EAMs), the new PICs are designed to simplify system design, reduce power consumption, and accelerate time-to-market for transceiver developers.
The 1.6Tbps DR8 PIC integrates four DFB lasers, eight 224G modulators, and eight semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) on a single chip. It eliminates the need for externally coupled CW lasers and complex packaging, reducing both CAPEX and OPEX. The device achieves 90% coupling efficiency between active elements and the silicon waveguide and operates under 2.7W at 80°C. The platform supports forward scalability, with the same architecture positioned to enable 3.2Tbps transmission at 400G per lane in future iterations.
OpenLight’s reference design shortens the path from design to production and helps alleviate supply constraints impacting optical module availability. With bare die samples now available and evaluation boards shipping by the end of March, OpenLight is targeting module qualification samples for Q3 2025. The PIC is also backward compatible with 800G applications, adding flexibility for hyperscale and enterprise network designers.
• OpenLight begins sampling 1.6Tb DR8 PICs on Tower Semiconductor PH18DA process.
• Integrates 4x DFB lasers, 8x 224G EAMs, and 8x SOAs for full 1.6Tbps operation.
• Power consumption under 2.7W at 80°C; 90% coupling efficiency.
• Eliminates need for external CW lasers, reducing packaging complexity and cost.
• Supports 800G today, with roadmap to 3.2Tbps at 400G per lane.
• Bare die available now; evaluation boards shipping end of March 2025; module qualification in Q3 2025.
“We now have 1.6Tb PIC samples available for customer evaluation, an important milestone in delivering OpenLight’s innovative, high-performance solutions for datacenter and AI applications,” said Kevin Granucci, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at OpenLight.
