Entering The Coherent Optical Transmission Market! This Optoelectronics Major Launches High-Power DFB Laser Chip

Recently, HieFo, a leading company in the field of optical communication, officially launched its HCL30 DFB laser chip, which is designed to meet the stringent requirements of coherent optical transmission.
Combining high optical output power with superior narrow linewidth performance, the chip offers multiple industry-standard wavelengths in both O- and C-band, delivering unprecedented performance improvements for data centers, artificial intelligence connectivity, communications and general-purpose sensing.
The HCL30 DFB laser chip was developed specifically for the 'Coherent Lite' market; however, based on HieFo's recent innovations in chip design, the superior performance of the HCL30 DFB laser chip will enable a wide range of applications, including data centers, AI connectivity, communications, and general purpose sensing," said Dr. Genzao Zhang, co-founder and CEO of HieFo. laser chip's superior performance will be used in a wide range of applications such as data centers, AI connectivity, communications, and general-purpose sensing."
HieFo's HCL30 is a 1 mm cavity length chip available in die or chip-on-carrier (COC) format mounted on a proprietary base. The device is capable of achieving spectral linewidth performance of less than 300 KHz while providing 150 mW of typical optical output power.
The HCL30 is the ideal integration solution in today's highly integrated optical platforms based on silicon optical integration designs. Emerging CPO (co-packaged optics) and LPO (distributed optics) technologies can also take advantage of the unique performance of this newly released laser chip.
The HCL30 is the first of HieFo's new DFB laser products to be introduced as a result of recent innovations in InP chip design architecture. Other product variants will be introduced in the future to meet specific optical design requirements, such as efficient designs for ultra-high optical output power or very narrow linewidth performance.
Launch of next-generation high power gain chip HGC20
HieFo also recently launched the HGC20, a next-generation high power gain chip for integrated tunable laser assemblies (xITLA).
Designed to address the critical market need for higher optical output power and lower power consumption, HieFo's HGC20 C+ band gain chip sets a new performance benchmark as a building block for the next generation of integrated tunable lasers (xITLA).
Dr. Genzao Zhang said, "The introduction of the HGC20 gain chip is an example of the innovations HieFo will bring to the optical communications market in the coming months and years."
He added, "HieFo has made significant enhancement improvements to the chip base design that will serve as the foundation for a wide range of InP-based chip applications that will drive the next generation of optical interconnects for the data center, communications and AI connectivity markets."
The HGC20 is a 1mm cavity length chip mounted on a proprietary base with optical output power approaching 22dBm (depending on drive current). For applications requiring lower overall module power consumption, the HGC20's highly efficient design allows for up to a 40 percent improvement in wall-plug efficiency (WPE) compared to common gain chips on the market.
HieFo's gain chip technology has been a fundamental building block in the tunable laser market for more than 15 years, and the HGC20 continues to lead the industry in performance parameters such as frequency accuracy, narrow linewidth and low noise.
Acquisition of the assets of optoelectronic device manufacturer EMCORE
HieFo, headquartered in California, USA, recently inherited a 40+ year legacy of innovation in optoelectronics from EMCORE, the world's largest provider of inertial navigation solutions to the aerospace and defense industries, through a management buyout.
HieFo is now focused on the development and commercialization of highly efficient photonic devices for the optical communications industry and will continue to pursue the most innovative and disruptive solutions to serve the datacom, communications, AI connectivity, and general sensing industries.
It is reported that on April 30th of this year, HieFo purchased the latter's chip business and Indium Phosphide (InP) wafer fabrication business from EMCORE for a total purchase price of $2.92 million.
This included the transfer of virtually all of the assets associated with EMCORE's non-core discontinued chip business line, including those utilized in its InP wafer fabrication operations in Alhambra, California, including but not limited to equipment, contracts, intellectual property and inventory.
HieFo will initially sublease a complete building and a portion of another building at its Alhambra site, and will ultimately sublease two complete buildings, with prorated rent payments for those buildings beginning July 1, 2024.
HieFo has also successfully hired virtually all of the key scientists, engineers and operations personnel from EMCORE's discontinued chip operations and will continue to conduct business on EMCORE's Alhambra campus.
Indium phosphide chip plant resumes production
HieFo recently announced that it successfully restarted production at its Indium Phosphide (InP) wafer fabrication facility in Alhambra, California on August 23, 2024, immediately following its management buyout of the wafer fabrication and chip-related business assets from EMCORE. The acquisition was successfully completed in early May 2024 and HieFo took over operations immediately thereafter.
Through this transaction, HieFo not only absorbed EMCORE's original team of key scientists, engineers and operational talent, but also inherited more than four decades of global leadership in the design and manufacture of InP chips, as well as a wealth of intellectual property in advanced optoelectronic devices.
It is worth noting that EMCORE had planned to exit the InP chip business, which led to the suspension of the wafer fabrication business for a time. However, HieFo quickly resumed production activities at the Alhambra campus with its experienced core team and strong financial strength.
Over the past three months, the HieFo team has worked hard to restart idle equipment, restore epitaxial wafer growth and regeneration capabilities of the MOCVD reactor, restart the front-end microfabrication process, and build a complete device testing, chip preparation and separation process on the back-end.
Currently, the InP-based devices produced by HieFo (including lasers, gain chips, SOA, PIN/APD detectors, etc.) have passed rigorous reliability verification tests, and their performance, quality and reliability have met or even exceeded the established standards.
Especially noteworthy is that HieFo has prepared a newly designed chip for mass production, which is designed to support single carrier wavelength transceivers up to 1.6Tbps, demonstrating the strength of its technological innovation. A number of leading optical module manufacturers have reached out to HieFo to pre-order its high-efficiency optical devices. This achievement marks a solid step forward for HieFo in driving innovative solutions for the telecom, datacom and AI connectivity industries.
Commenting on the announcement, HieFo's CEO said, "We couldn't be more pleased to announce the full resumption of optical device production at our Alhambra facility, which is not only a vivid demonstration of HieFo's commitment to continuity and excellence in high-performance optical chip production, but also a firm belief that we continue to lead the industry."