Optical, rad-hard, SFF transceiver for space
ProductSeptember 03, 2012
Alice Moss
Military Embedded Systems
High-speed parallel optical communication for space applications is enabled by the latest radiation-hardened component from Ultra Communications in Vista, CA: the X80-Q Fury transceiver. The surface-mount device produces 12.5 Gbps per channel per receiver and has an extended temperature ra...
High-speed parallel optical communication for space applications is enabled by the latest radiation-hardened component from Ultra Communications in Vista, CA: the X80-Q Fury transceiver. The surface-mount device produces 12.5 Gbps per channel per receiver and has an extended temperature range of -40 °C to +100 °C. The Fury consists of a transceiver Integrated Circuit (IC), a Gallium arsenide (GaAs) Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) array, a GaAs PIN photodetector array, and a glass lens array. Applications for the device include 1 to 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 1x to 10x Fibre Channel, Serial RapidIO, PCI Express, and VITA 17.2, which focuses on 10 Gigabit Serial Front Panel Data Port (SFPDP).
A key feature is the device’s Built-In-Test (BIT) functionality for continuous monitoring of operating conditions: internal IC status and external parameters such as signal quality and fiber-optic link loss. Its BIT functions include Transmitter Signal Strength Indicator (TSSI), Transmitter Modulation Strength Indicator (TMSI) for measuring Tx input amplitude, Receiver Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) for measuring average Rx photocurrent, Receiver Modulation Strength Indicator (RMSI) for measuring Rx input and amplitude, critical transceiver operating conditions, and temperature sensor and VCSEL voltage. A digital SPI interface controls the bias settings and readout of BIT sensors.
