Optical FPGAs

[Altera_Forum]

Hello! 

I am interested in optical FPGAs.  Is it something like a general cover? Is it possible to implement any kind of FPGA series in it?    Thank you for your answer in advance.

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---   I am interested in optical FPGAs.   --- Quote End ---   Good luck with that, they don't yet exist :)  FPGAs can be used to implement optical interfaces. The most common technique is that you route the CML-logic transceiver lanes to SFP+ (small form-factor pluggable) or QSFP+ (quad version) connectors, and then plug in either direct attach copper cables for short runs (<5m) or optical cables for longer runs (10m to many km).  Altera has some public-relations photos of an FPGA with Avago optical modules mounted on the corner of the FPGA. This is not yet a real product though (as far as I have seen).  The FPGAs you are interested in are the devices with transceiver lanes. For testing you ideally want devices with an embedded eye-pattern monitor, i.e., the Arria V GZ devices or the Stratix V series devices.  What are you interested in testing?  Cheers, Dave

[Altera_Forum]

Thank you! 

   --- Quote Start ---  Good luck with that, they don't yet exist :) I found this information: http://www.altera.com/corporate/about_us/history/optical/abt-optical-interconnects.html and that isn't just now published.   Right now I am just doing a research on FPGA optical interface options.  But did I get it right, the optical FPGA (not produced yet) idea was that it is just an outside package and the core could be any kind of FPGA series?   Evita

[Altera_Forum]

Optical part of the FPGA is just an interface, it is like having a "normal" FPGA with oprical transciver built-in. The inovation here is that they have managed to build FPGA and optical transicever on same silicon die. 

 If I recall correctly, HP will be using same technology for their The Machine supercomputer.

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---   I found this information: http://www.altera.com/corporate/about_us/history/optical/abt-optical-interconnects.html and that isn't just now published.    --- Quote End ---   Right. This is marketing hype. These parts do not exist yet. And even when they do, they are not "Optical FPGAs", they are silicon devices with electrical-to-optical converters integrated in the same package as the FPGA.    --- Quote Start ---   Right now I am just doing a research on FPGA optical interface options.  But did I get it right, the optical FPGA (not produced yet) idea was that it is just an outside package and the core could be any kind of FPGA series?   --- Quote End ---   There are many types of optical interfaces, eg., an IR remote control is optical, and that can be created with any FPGA.  If you are specifically interested in high-speed optical interfaces, i.e., 10Gbps/40Gbps/100Gbps operating with lane rates of at least 10Gbps, then the "standard" interfaces and FPGAs that support those interfaces are as I have mentioned above. The recently announced Stratix/Arria/Cyclone 10 series devices will have some devices that also support these interfaces.  Cheers, Dave