KD opens optical interconnect lab in Spain
KDPOF in Spain has rebranded to KD as it opens a prototyping laboratory and assembly and test plant in Tres Cantos, Madrid.
The optical interconnect lab, close to the company headquarters and detailed by eeNews Europe last year, follows a €28m funding from the European Commisison as part of an IPCEI project. This will form the basis of a high-quality packaging factory for state-of-the-art optoelectronic devices. In addition, the company is opening their first prototype laboratory for testing its own products.
The encapsulation and testing factory for large volumes will go into operation in 2025, starting with an upcoming transceiver IC for high-speed automotive optical communications, including optoelectronics packaging technology developed by KD. This will be a key capability in Europe.
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“Since our founding in 2010, we’ve mastered the path of innovation, dedication, and excellence in high-speed optical network technology for harsh environments,” said Carlos Pardo, CEO and Co-founder of KD. “The present major step is to evolve from a fabless company to setting up a high-volume production site for semiconductors close to our headquarter in Tres Cantos, Madrid, in Spain.”
“We’re excited to pioneer the manufacturing of automotive optoelectronics in Spain in high volume, thus reducing the dependency on Asia and US,” said Pardo.
“With the development of our new IEEE Std 802.3cz compliant multi-gigabit optical transceivers, based on a new paradigm in integrating electronics, photonics, and optics, we’ve become a global benchmark for robust communication needs in the most adverse environments. Now it’s time for an upgrade of our corporate identity to align it with our achievements and future milestones,” said Rubén Pérez-Aranda, CTO and Co-founder of KD.
The IEEE Std 802.3cz standard is focusing on highly reliable conditions that enable lifetimes of 15 years and more, with low cost and high-volume implementations. The standard specifies speeds of 2.5, 5, 10, 25, and 50 Gb/s per lane with automotive temperature requirements of -40 °C to +105 °C. The maximum link length is 40 meters with 4 inline connectors. This approach is affordable since the higher optical power budget allows lower tolerance connectors. Additionally, the OM3 fiber is widely used, ensuring high volume production.
Improving the communication channel to the Shannon limit, the maximum theoretical lmit, allows a much simpler physical layer with a lower DSP/equalization complexity and no echo cancellation, resulting in lower power consumption, lower latency, a smaller silicon area, and an overall lower-cost solution. A specially dedicated Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) side channel is available for dependability and link management.
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