Ruggedized 25G Optical Transceiver 

Cheetah: A 25G Optical Transceiver Based on the OptoBGATM Platform 

Designed for Environments Where Copper Becomes a Limiting Factor 

At 25G and above, copper interconnects increasingly face challenges related to EMI susceptibility, signal loss, routing density, and power budget, and thermal management. This 25G optical transceiver platform addresses these challenges by: 

  • Converting electrical signals to optical at the point of use for reduced power and improved signal integrity 
  • Minimizing high-speed electrical trace lengths for improved performance and reduced design cost and complexity 
  • Reducing susceptibility to radiated and conducted noise of the cable harness with EMI-immune optical fibers 
  • Enabling higher interconnect density and lengths without complex, expensive shielding needed for copper 

The result is a platform intended for predictable performance across temperature, vibration, and electrical noise extremes encountered in aerospace, automotive, defense, and industrial systems. 

Target Applications

This 25G optical transceiver platform is being developed with the following application environments in mind: 

  • Automotive: zonal architectures, ADAS, in-vehicle networks 
  • Aerospace & Defense: avionics, rugged computing, mission systems 
  • Industrial: automation, robotics, power electronics or nuclear environments 

We understand that each application presents unique constraints, so we are interested in talking with system designers to gather input on application-specific electrical and optical interface expectations, mechanical and thermal constraints and requirements, diagnostics and monitoring needs, specific qualification and reliability requirements, and integration challenges specific to real-world platforms.

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Platform Architecture

The architecture is designed to align with standard PCB manufacturing and assembly flows, reducing complexity compared to pluggable or cabled optical modules. The fiber cable coupler is simply snapped onto the OptoBGATM at final box assembly, with the length of the fiber service loop tailored to the box requirements and terminated with the specified fiber connector, supporting many different options to integrate with qualified optical connectors already deployed in the system architecture. 

Key Architectural Elements

  • Opto-electronic interface in a BGA package for robust board-level assembly 
  • Short-reach 25G electrical I/O optimized for signal integrity and performance over wide temperature ranges 
  • Compact mechanical footprint suitable for space-constrained systems 
  • Interconnect decoupled from EMI sources at the system level with fiber connectivity 
  • Supports a wide range of optical fiber connectors and cables at the system level 

OptoBGATM: Optical Connectivity, Integrated at the Board Level 

The OptoBGATM platform is a complete optoelectronic subsystem chip that integrates high-speed optical functionality directly at the PCB level, enabling short electrical paths, improved signal integrity, and lower power data transmission so that system connectivity solutions can take advantage of the inherent high bandwidth and immunity to EMI of fiber cables compared to traditional copper interconnects. 

By combining optical performance with a BGA-based package, the platform is designed to support high-performance, low-cost, manufacturable, and rugged system architectures operating at 25G data rates. Set up a demo today to talk with our engineering team and learn more.

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