Zetta Unveils Breakthrough 200 Gb/s/λ PAM4 EML for High-Speed Optical Communications

Zetta today announced a major technological milestone in high-speed optical communications with the successful development of a mass-production-ready CWDM4 200 Gb/s/λ PAM4 Electro-Absorption Modulated Laser (EML). This next-generation device is designed to meet the growing demand for ultra-fast data transmission in data centers and 5G networks.

Engineered with advanced structural design and packaging innovations, the new EML achieves a bandwidth exceeding 60 GHz and maintains a Transmitter Dispersion Eye Closure Quaternary (TDECQ) below 3.0 dB across all CWDM4 channels, even within the temperature range of 25°C to 50°C.

Dr. K-H Huang, Director of the R&D Center at Zetta, will report the relevant details in the presentation numbered ACP2025-0711-4 at the Asia Communications and Photonics Conference (ACP 2025) held in Suzhou on November 8, 2025.

“While leading enterprises in the U.S. and Japan have made significant progress in commercializing 200 Gb/s/λ EMLs, China continues to face a supply-demand gap in high-end 100/200 Gb/s optical components,” said Dr. K-H Huang. “Our breakthrough aims to strengthen domestic supply chains and support the next wave of data center and 5G infrastructure.”

This achievement builds on Zetta’s prior success in developing CWDM4 100 Gb/s PAM4 EMLs. The team has now advanced the technology to support 200 Gb/s PAM4 operation, marking a significant leap in performance.

Looking ahead, Dr. K-H Huang’s team will focus on optimizing the manufacturing process and minimizing parasitic capacitance. He emphasized that co-design of the chip and its Chip-on-Carrier (CoC) structure will be critical to achieving core competitiveness in beyond-100-GBaud-class EMLs.

With the rollout of this technology, Zetta aims to alleviate pressure on China’s high-end optical device supply chain and provide robust technical support for next-generation data center interconnects and 5G network upgrades.