Advances in Optical Networking:

Coherent, Super-Channels and the

Value of Integrated Switching
Steve Pegg, Infinera

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Agenda:
The Key To Network Flexibility

Fibre Capacity
Operational Scale

Network Efficiency
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What is Coherent and what does it deliver?

Coherent Technologies

Before
Coherent

Advanced Modulation
Polarization Multiplexing
Coherent Detection
Advanced
Digital Signal Processing

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100G
Coherent

Super-Channel
Coherent

C-Band
80 Channels@10Gb/s

800Gb/s
C-Band
80 Channels@100Gb/s

8Tb/s
C-Band
Gridless

9.5Tb/s

The same or better reach!

There is no single, correct coherent modulation:

FlexCoherent: Optimizing Spectral Efficiency vs. Reach
Modulation

Normalized Reach

C-Band Capacity

Application

PM-BPSK
PM-QPSK

5000 km
3000 km

5Tb/s
10Tb/s

Subsea
Long-Haul

PM-16QAM

500 km

20Tb/s

Metro

PM-QPSK

PM-BPSK

PM-16QAM

Etc.
Reach

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Capacity

Is Photonic Integration Important at 100G?

Component cost breakdown for 100G co-PM-QPSK Transponder

Other Components

34%
DSP + FEC

11%
Optical Components

55%
Photonic integration offers significant benefits at 100G and beyond!
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Agenda:
The Key To Network Flexibility

Fibre Capacity

Operational Scale

Network Efficiency
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One way to bring 1Tb/s into service

100G Line Card

100G Line Card
100G Line Card
100G Line Card

100G Line Card

100G Line Card
100G Line Card

100G Line Card

100G Line Card
100G Line Card

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Bulky
Power-hungry
Does not scale operationally

Super-Channels Solve the Problem of Operational Scale

A super-channel
implements multiple
carriers - ideally in a
single line card

Its practical
to build

All carriers are

provisioned in a single
operational cycle

Line
Card
It has excellent
optical performance

And is seen as a
single unit of capacity
by the services that use it
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Why do we need multi-carrier super-channels?

C Band

1 Tb/s PM-QPSK

375 GHz
1 Laser
4 modulators
320 Gbaud electronics
~ 11 nm Silicon
Time to Market: ~10 years

375 GHz
2 Lasers
8 modulators
160 Gbaud electronics
~16nm Silicon
Time to Market: ~7 years

375 GHz
10 Lasers
40 modulators
32 GBaud electronics
Photonic ICs
Time to Market: ~2 years

Must be spectrally efficient, and possible to manufacture

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Large Scale PICs: Optimal for Super-Channels

10 channels of Tx

1T TX PIC
AOFX-1000-T8-1-C8

1 Tb/s in a single line card

FC 1-4/1-6/1-8

10 channels of Rx

1T RX PIC

The most Practical Approach for Coherent Super-Channels

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World Record PMD Compensation Performance

Industry leading performance
Peak PMD tolerance to 500ps
Tolerant to high speed PMD transients

500G Tx Module

500G Rx Module

Constellation diagrams

Rahn, J.; Sun, H.; Wu, K.T.; Basch, B.E. IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology, 2012, Issue 99:
Real-Time PMD Tolerance Measurements of a PIC Based 500Gb/s Coherent Optical Modem
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Agenda:
The Key To Network Flexibility

Operational Scale
Fibre Capacity

Network Efficiency
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What will the next data rate be?

Client Side

Ethernet Data Rates

1GbE
10GbE
40GbE
100GbE
???

Other Services
FiberChannel
SONET/SDH
Video Services
Custom R&E traffic

Line Side

Transport
Platform

IEEE HSSG
ITU-T SG15

Super-Channel Data Rates

1Tb/s
(10C-PM-QPSK)
500Gb/s
(10C-PM-QPSK)
400Gb/s
(DC-PM-16QAM)
250Gb/s
(10C-PM-BPSK)
200Gb/s
(DC-PM-QPSK)
100Gb/s
(DC-PM-BPSK)
OTN Container Sizes (approx)
ODU0
1.25Gb/s
ODU1
2.5Gb/s
ODU2
10Gb/s
ODU3
40Gb/s
ODU4
100Gb/s
OTUadapt
ODU???

Super-channel modulation has to be flexible (eg. FlexCoherent),

so OTN container size must be flexible too (OTUadapt)

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What the services mix tells us

More switching required for lower speed services

Client Port Mix (2017)

Sub 10G
10G
40G
100G
(Source: Ovum, 2012)

Majority of the
Client/Service Demands
remain 10G

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Majority of client services

remain at 10G or less

100G services are emerging,

but represent mostly core
network needs

The architectural choices are clear

Architectural Options

Problem Statement
What is the most efficient way to
build the next gen network
WDM only
(Muxponders)

WDM + Standalone Switch

Key findings:
Muxponders & Separate switching
are too complex & costly

Integrated OTN switching is a must

Integrated WDM + Switch
Non PIC-based

Photonic IC
based

Switching refers to OTN Switching

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have

Integrated Switching is Clearly Advantageous

40 %

Fibre
direction #2

100G wave with

4 x 10G services

Fibre
direction #3

Fibre
direction #1

CapEx penalty of
multiple 10G interconnect between
Switch and WDM

Efficiently filled
100G wave

90%

50%

100G wave with

5 x 10G services

CapEx penalty of standalone switch

Manual patches result

in operational
inflexibility

OpEx penalty of extra

space/power

Example is for single 100G wave: Imagine 80x this!

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Integrated Switch + PIC-based WDM is even better

Fibre
direction #1

40 %
100G wave with
4 x 10G services

Fibre
direction #2

Efficiently filled
100G wave

90%

50%

100G wave with

5 x 10G services

Fibre
W direction #3

Eliminate
Interconnects

Reduce
Space/Power

Eliminate Separate
Switch

Automate
Connections

Compare PIC-based platform to discrete optical implementations

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Agenda:
The Key To Network Flexibility

Operational Scale
Network Efficiency
Fibre Capacity

Large Scale PICs are the critical enabling technology

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Thank You!
Steve Pegg
spegg@infinera.com

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