THE COPPER CLIFF

Bandwidth has pushed copper to its limits... Optical interconnects enable new solutions.


Copper Had a Great Run

Copper is simple and cheap and has been the mainstay of interconnect solutions for over 100 years, but it can’t handle the bandwidth of high-performance systems any longer. The challenges of transmitting a high-speed signal (10’s Gbps) over any useful distance, through connectors and bulkheads are just too great. There are issues with the signal integrity, group loops, and electromagnetic interference both at the connector interface and along the cable itself that is pushing copper off the cliff. HDMI video cable distance limitations at 4K and 8K bandwidth are just one example of the limitations of copper. Data rates are driving the changeover to optical interconnects, and Inneos optical solutions can help ease that transition, whether you’re looking for turnkey optical adapters, optical subsystems for integration into your solution, or simply the VCSEL and PIN components to enable the optical interconnect.


Industry's Delayed Reaction

Many sectors of industry have resisted the inevitable transition because fiber is still new to engineering designers, system integrators, manufactures, and installers. Some have tried to maintain the status quo using copper wiring by using compression to reduce the bandwidth, resulting in compromised data or high latency, or alternatively adding additional shielding to copper cables, resulting in increased weight and higher cost interconnect solutions. Neither are desirable tradeoffs, and with optical interconnects, there is no need to compromise!

Get More Out of Your Fiber with CWDM

With Inneos, you don’t need to run multiple fibers to get ultra-high bandwidths. Our patented WaveStacker CWDM technology enables you to send an amazing amount of data over a single strand of multimode fiber. This allows easy implementation of optical interconnects through 360° fiber optic rotary joints and bulk-head connectors. Plus, the same fiber has plenty of bandwidth for next-generation solutions as well, so leave the fiber in place and simply change out the optical subsystem when it is time for a system upgrade.

The Fiber Future

Fiber interconnects have largely replaced copper across the telecom and Datacom industries. And now it’s coming to the videocom, automotive, industrial, aerospace, and defense markets as well. Inneos has over 20 years of experience in optical interconnect design and manufacturing, so we can help you confidently make the transition to optical to take your connectivity to the next level.