AFL and SENKO Advanced Components, Inc. say they have signed a technology transfer and patent license agreement that will enable AFL to manufacture SN connectors and adapters. The SENKO developed fiber-optic connector, developed for such high-speed optical transceiver form factors as the QSFP-DD and OSFP, is the subject of an intermateability standard under development in IEC as IEC 61754-36 Type SAC connector.
The duplex SN connector uses LC-style 1.25-mm O.D. Zirconia ferrules for connectivity in hyperscale, edge, enterprise, or co-location data center interconnect (DCI). The SN connector provides individual and independent duplex fiber breakout at a quad-style transceiver (e.g., QSFP, QSFP-DD, OSFP) in a manner that is more efficient, reliable, and scalable than the MPO connector, SENKO says. It also provides 3X higher density than LC connectors. In addition to adoption by the QSFP-DD and OSFP MSAs, the SFP-DD has also adopted the SN as their independent duo-style interface, mainly for wireless fronthaul (see "SENKO touts adoption of SN Connector, including for optical transceivers").
“We are excited about our licensing agreement with SENKO on the SN connector which will provide our hyperscale customers with a new connector form, fit, and function to enable data transmissions of 400G and beyond,” commented Robert Dennelly, director of engineering and product management at AFL. “With the new SN connector, hyperscale customers will be able to easily link individual duplex fiber connectors into QSFP-DD and OSFP transceivers, providing high-density, efficient installation and cost-effective deployment.”
“AFL is one of the most successful companies in the telecommunication and data communication market and we are very excited with our partnership. We foresee the SN interface to be synonymous with high-speed DCI and wireless fronthaul connectivity, especially with the standardization effort of the SN at the IEC,” added Jim Hasegawa, executive vice president at SENKO.
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