Metro-Access Network Device Project
The metro-access network device project promotes the research and development of device technology to achieve the next generation of metro-access networks and the expansion of data centers to accommodate the rapidly increasing traffic due to the spread of video services, smartphones, and cloud services. Our practical development of access control LSI, compact optical sub-assembly modules, and FPGA NIC for SDN software switches aims to contribute to the creation of the next generation of communications services and networks with advanced and low power consumption.
① Laser, photodiode, and amplifier IC that enable long reach and high splitting ratio of optical metro-access networks
Optical metro-access networks that communicate with multiple user terminal devices scattered in different locations must have a long-reach optical transmission distance to accommodate distantly located user devices as well as a high optical splitting ratio to efficiently accommodate the increasing number of user devices. Current levels of laser output power and receiver sensitivity of photodiodes and analog ICs, however, impose a certain limit on the extension of reach and increase in splitting ratio that can be achieved. In this project, therefore, we carry out research and development of modulated laser with higher output power (AXEL), and photodiode (APD) and amplifier IC (BTIA) with higher receiver sensitivity.
AXEL: SOA assisted extended reach EA-DFB Laser
APD: Avalanche Photodiode
BTIA: Burst-mode Transimpedance Amplifier
② FPGA NIC for SDN software switch
Nowadays, a network needs to be constructed quickly and flexibly. SDN and NFV are technologies for easily customizing a network. We developed an FPGA-NIC accelerator to improve the data-plane transfer rate of both an SDN software switch and an NFV application. The accelerator achieved data transfer at a 40-Gbps wire-speed in cooperation with an SDN software switch named "Lagopus". We are currently working on improving the accelerator's [Lagopus's] performance and functionality for practical use.
*SDN : Software Defined Networking
*NFV : Network Functions Virtualization
*FPGA : Field Programmable Gate Array
*DPDK : Data Plane Development Kit
*PMD : Poll Mode Driver
*API : Application Programming Interface