100G Optical Transceivers

Jan 6, 2025

Although 400G and 800G optical transceivers are in full swing, 100G ones, as the core component of high-speed data transmission, still plays an important role. 100G optical transceiver module can achieve a data transmission speed of 100Gbps per second and is widely used in data centers and transmission networks.

100G optical transceivers can be divided into three types according to the rate structure: 10X10G, 4X25G, and 2X50G. According to the packaging form, they are divided into four styles: CFP, CFP2, CFP4 and QSFP28. Usually, CFP modules are processed with 10x10G. In order to solve the power consumption and volume problems, CFP2, CFP4 and the current QSFP28 packaging have been developed.

Among these different 100G packaging forms, QSFP28 has become the main encapsulation for 100G networks because of its advantages such as high density, low power consumption and low cost. The rate of 100G QSFP28 is divided into 4x25G and 4x28G, among which the 4x28G 112G optical transceiver is mainly used in OTU4 optical network.

Now let’s focus on the 100G QSFP28 optical transceiver
1. 100G BASE-SR4 QSFP28
The 100G BASE-SR4 QSFP28 optical transceiver is a parallel 100G optical module. The QSFP28 full-duplex optical module provides 4 independent transmit and receive channels, each of which can run 25Gbps data within 100 meters on OM4 MMF optical fiber, with an overall data rate of 100Gbps.
When the 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 optical transceiver sends signals from the transmitting end, the electrical signal is converted into an optical signal by the laser array, and then transmitted on the ribbon multimode fiber. When it reaches the receiving end, the optical signal will be converted into electrical signal.

2. 100G BASE-LR4 QSFP28
The 100G BASE-LR4 is QSFP28 optical transceiver is a hot-pluggable full-duplex optical module that complies with the IEEE 802.3ba standard, has a dual LC interface, and operates at wavelength 1295nm, 1300nm, 1304nm and 1309nm. It is specifically used for long-distance 100G Ethernet, and can reach 10km transmitting distance on a single-mode fiber.
QSFP28-100G-LR4 converts 4 channels of 25Gbps electrical signal into 4 channels of LAN WDM optical signal, and then multiplex them into a single channel to achieve 100G optical signal transmission by MUX or WDM technology. At the receiving end, the transceiver demultiplexes the 100G optical input into 4 LAN WDM optical signals, and then converts them into 4 electrical signals and outputs them into channels.

3. 100G BASE-CWDM4 QSFP28
QSFP28 CWDM4 transceiver has rate 103.1Gbps. It is mainly used in computing, high-frequency trading and other fields. Its cost is significantly higher than that of QSFP28 PSM4 optical module.
Through CWDM technology, QSFP28 CWDM4 optical transceiver multiplexes four wavelengths 1270nm, 1290nm, 1310nm and 1330nm onto a single-mode optical fiber for transmission.

4. 100G BASE-PSM4 QSFP28
The QSFP28 PSM4 optical transceiver is a high-speed and low-power module designed for optical interconnection. It is made with the hot-pluggable QSFP form factor, built-in digital diagnostic functions, and a total of 4 independent full-duplex channels, each channel reaching a data rate of 25.78Gbps.
QSFP28 PSM4 optical transceiver module is mainly used in 40G and 100G Ethernet. The high-bandwidth modules support 100GbE optical links through single-mode optical fibers.

5. 100G BASE-ER4 QSFP28
The 100G QSFP28 ER4 optical transceiver module complies with the QSFP MSA, IEEE 802.3ba, 100GBASE-ER4 Lite and OTU4 standards, with the transmission distance up to 40km on single-mode fiber, supports 100G Ethernet and OTU4, and has a max power consumption only 4.5W.
The QSFP28 100G ER4 optical module transmitter can operate on four LAN WDM wavelength bands: 1295nm, 1300nm, 1305nm and 1310nm. The optical signals on these four bands are multiplexed by the multiplexer and transmitted on single-mode fiber through LC connectors. At the receiving end, the SOA amplifies the signal before the multiplexer decomposes the signal into individual channels (the PIN receiver is used to convert the optical signal back to an electrical signal).
QSFP28 ER4 supports 100G direct connection with a maximum transmission distance of up to 40km. Simply plug two 100G QSFP28 ER4 modules into the 100G switch ports and connect them with an LC duplex single-mode patch cord. The 100G QSFP28 ER4 optical module is also suitable for connecting data centers located in different geographical locations, supporting long-distance high-speed interconnection between 100G data centers, and is a convenient and economical interconnection solution.

6. 100G BASE-ZR4 QSFP28
The 100G BASE-ZR4 optical transceiver module is designed to transmit 100G BASE Ethernet up to 80km through a duplex LC interface via a single-mode fiber (SMF) at a wavelength of 1310nm. It adopts a BOX+FPC+PCBA split design with excellent reliability and heat dissipation. The optical transceiver complies with the IEEE 802.3ba 100GBASE-ZR4 standard. According to the provisions of the QSFP28 MSA, digital diagnostic functions are also available through the I2C interface to allow access to real-time operating parameters. With these features, this optical module is suitable for a variety of applications, such as telecommunications, 5G wireless networks, suitable for outdoor and indoor deployment. With 7W low power consumption, high density and high-speed characteristics, the QSFP28 optical module provides a reliable way to help you quickly upgrade to 100G transmission.

Type	Interface	Fiber	Reach
QSFP28 100G Base-SR4	MT-12	MM OM4	100mts
QSFP28 100G Base-PSM4	MT-12	SM	500mts
QSFP28 100G Base-CWDM4	LC Duplex	SM	2km
QSFP28 100G Base-LR4	LC Duplex	SM	10km
QSFP28 100G Base-ER4	LC Duplex	SM	40km
QSFP28 100G Base-ZR4	LC Duplex	SM	80km

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