Definition of Active Optical Cables (AOC)
Active Optical Cables, abbreviated as AOC, stand for Active Optical Fiber. They resemble copper cables in appearance but differ in transmission methods and operating environments. AOCs are primarily used in short-distance, multi-channel data communication applications. As a new type of transmission cable, they require an external power source during communication to convert electrical signals into optical signals or vice versa. Optical transceivers at both ends of the cable provide electro-optical conversion and optical transmission functions.
What are the components of an AOC?
The primary components of an active optical cable are divided into optical and electrical circuits. The optical circuit includes lenses and fiber adapters (FA) for adjusting the optical path angle. The electrical circuit comprises a PCB board, substrate, VCSEL chip, VCSEL driver chip, PD chip, and TIA chip. As a key transmission medium for high-performance computers and data centers, active optical cables ensure stable transmission and application flexibility, making them common in high-density deployments.
What is the principle behind Active Optical Cables (AOC)?
At one end of the active optical cable, electrical signals are input. An electro-optic conversion device transforms these electrical signals into optical signals of a specific wavelength. After modulation and coupling, the optical signals are transmitted into the optical fiber. Upon reaching the other end, an electro-optic detection device detects, amplifies, and processes the optical signals, subsequently outputting corresponding electrical signals. The reverse transmission principle operates identically.
Why use Active Optical Cables (AOC)?
Compared to high-speed cables offering strong interchangeability, low cost, and excellent heat dissipation, why can AOC still become a future market mainstream?
Active optical cables are primarily adopted because their components can replace copper technology in data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Passive optical cables are known for their heavy weight and bulky size, which fail to meet data centers' high-density requirements. Additionally, the nature of electrical signals means electromagnetic interference (EMI) limits copper's performance and reliability. Active optical cables, however, overcome these limitations of passive cables and play a crucial role in high-speed data transmission.
