Testing Considerations for High-Density Co-Packaged Optical Devices

WHITE PAPER

Datacenter, machine learning, and artificial intelligence applications are now demanding bandwidths of more than 25.6Tb/s. However, achieving the high-channel counts required to reach these speeds using the current approach of pluggable modules that insert into the faceplate of the rack mount switch is quite challenging.

To address these challenges and eliminate data transmission bottlenecks, optical engineers are working to develop co-packaged optical devices that can bring the optics and electronics closer together in a single packaged assembly. But as with any new technology, engineers not only need to work through the complexities of developing the actual devices, they also need to have technology available to quickly test the functionality of these channel-dense devices.

In this white paper, we provide an overview of both the current initiative to develop co-packaged optical devices and the key considerations for testing these new devices, including the following topics:

• How multiple organizations are working to ensure interoperability and standardization of co-packaged optical devices as companies develop this technology
• Key applications that will greatly benefit from using co-packaged optical devices
• The work currently being done on the 3.2T Co-Packaged Optical Module Implementation Project to develop devices that will increase bandwidth without greatly increasing energy consumption or transceiver footprint
• How to address the challenges of performing both subassembly and assembly testing, developing parallel testing methods to enable parallel assembly, and ensuring optimal test instrument utilization by eliminating captive instruments during testing.