Press Releases

27 March 2007

Circadiant Releases Industry’s First 10 Gigabit SFP+ Test System

New SFF8431 SFP+ compliance test card for the Hydra Platform

Allentown, PA - Circadiant Systems, Inc.,the real- world signal testing company, today announced the release of its SFP+ test solution - the industry’s first commercially available SFP+ compliance test system.

As port density on 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) line cards expands from 8 to 32 ports, line card manufacturers search for smaller and smaller optical interfaces.  SFP+ is emerging as the optical interface of choice.  The SFP+ form factor is the smallest 10G transceiver to date and promises to be the most cost effective.  SFP+ could potentially position the 10GbE market to retrace the 1GE volume ramp, which would mean millions of units per year.

In addition to the promise of cost efficiencies, SFP+ also brings technical challenges.  The 10G analog signals are no longer contained in the optical module; they must now be transmitted out of the module, thru the connector and board to the EDC (Electronic Dispersion Compensation) chip.  Transmission of analog signals over FR4 material will require precise layout, careful IC selection, and rigorous testing.  Accurately determining system performance demands testing both electrical and optical stressed signals.

Circadiant’s Hydra-SFP+ system tests the physical layer aspects of the SFF8431 standard for Linear applications including S tressed R eceiver S ensitivity (SRS), Electrical Noise measurement (dRN) and the Delta W aveform D ispersion P enalty (DWDP).   Hydra generates standard-compliant stressors to mimic worst-case electrical degradations while automatically sweeping the power and measuring electrical receiver sensitivity.   Hydra-SFP+ also automates the DWDP measurement through an external sampling scope for the transmitter portion of the standard .  Hydra makes accurate SFP+ compliance testing fast and easy by combining receiver and transmitter test functions.

“Vendors are pushing the limit of port density, providing a great opportunity for SFP+ to capture the optical interface market, but they have to work through the technical issues quickly, ” said My Chung, Circadiant’s president and CEO.  “Circadiant’s Hydra-SFP+ test system will provide the tools necessary to help module manufacturers shorten their time to market.”

About Circadiant
Led by test industry veterans and staffed by a team of distinguished physicists and engineers, Circadiant is a privately-held company based in Allentown, PA. The company provides optical component developers, network equipment manufacturers, and telecom service providers with award-winning test systems.  Circadiant’s Optical Standards Testers generate real-world optical test signals that greatly improve network reliability and interoperability. Circadiant received venture funding from EnerTech Capital, Intel Capital, PA Early Stage, and TL Ventures.

Media Contacts:

Troy Bergstrom
Circadiant Systems, Inc.
610.871.0500 x138