Passing Lane in Fiber-Optic Cables

New devices boost optical networks

Several technical requirements must be met until data from computers, TV stations or telephone network providers can be transported via fiber-optic cables to their destinations. Specialists from Infineon Technologies leverage their combined expertise to continuously improve the conditions for today’s and tomorrow’s fiber-optic applications with innovative chip designs. For example, the German technology foundry has developed a special device that can double the transmission capacities of fiber-optic cables.

Flashes of light enable secure communication

The so-called Single Fibre Transceiver enables two-way communications on a single optical fiber – usually a separate fiber is required in each direction. With this innovative method, it is already possible to send data at 155 Mbit per second and soon even at 1.25 Gbps and more per fiber to their separate destination in today’s homes. Using the optical solutions from Infineon, it is now possible to transmit up to 18 simultaneous movies in DVD video quality over a single fiber. For example, the fiber-optic cables of Deutsche Telekom consist of up to 400 fibers.

Fiber-optic cables offer significant advantages over the usual copper cables for the transmission of TV or computer data: higher bandwidth, immunity against electromagnetic interference, security and a much higher efficiency. But the underground optical transmissions are also urgently needed for phone calls in exceptional voice quality. Infineon is currently working on a device that integrates communications capabilities for optical data transmission cost-effectively and space-saving on a single chip. Fiber-optic cables are also an important cornerstone for the so-called Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) in large cities. This is where another high-tech development from Infineon comes in: A small module enables optical data transmissions up to 10 Gbps – this corresponds to a 20 ft. stack of letter-sized pages filled with text – over a distance of more than 6 miles.