Litecore C+L iTLA: Ushering in a New Era of Optical Communication Capacity Revolution

Recently, Litecore, a high-speed optical chip and device manufacturer, has launched the C+L Nano iTLA high-end optical device product, helping WDM backbone networks and data center DCI networks achieve an all-round upgrade in performance in the dual dimensions of "transmission capacity" and "transmission distance".

The digital wave drives technological innovation

Against the backdrop of the exponential growth of global data traffic, the demand for bandwidth expansion of bearer networks and the ultra-large-scale cloud deployment of data centers have formed a dual technological drive. 800G ZR/ZR+ and 1.6T ZR/ZR+ coherent optical communication technologies are accelerating large-scale commercialization. According to LightCounting's market forecast, in the next 3-5 years, the demand for the above high-rate products in the global DWDM pluggable optical module market will exceed 50%. As the core photonic integrated device in the coherent optical transmission link, the technical performance of iTLA (Integrated Tunable Laser Assembly) is a key factor determining the realization of high-rate transmission systems. Its wavelength range, linewidth, and relative intensity noise (RIN) directly affect the transmission capacity and distance indicators of the system.

Figure 1: Global Market Trend: DWDM pluggable TRx Module

Relying on its full-chain technical accumulation in the fields of semiconductor laser epitaxial growth, photonic chip tape-out, and high-density packaging of optical devices, Litecore successfully launched the C+L band ultra-compact integrated tunable laser assembly (C+L Nano iTLA) in Q2 of 2025. At present, the product has completed engineering verification and entered the customer sampling stage, and is accelerating the process of commercial mass production.

Figure 2: Litecore’s C+L Nano iTLA

Excellent performance parameters

The operating wavelength range of Litecore's C+L Nano iTLA covers 1524nm-1572nm (C Band 6THz) and 1575nm-1626nm (L band 6THz). Among them, the output power of the C band reaches 17dBm, and the output power of the L band reaches 16dBm. The typical linewidth is less than 50KHz, combined with the relative intensity noise (RIN) characteristic of less than -150dB/Hz. It will help optical signals achieve error-free transmission with ultra-large capacity, ultra-high rate, and ultra-long distance, making data transmission no longer restricted by distance.

Figure 3: Spectrum of Litecore’s C+L Nano iTLA

Figure 4: Linewidth of Litecore’s C+L Nano iTLA

Figure 5: RIN of Litecore’s C+L Nano iTLA

Conclusion

Through the full-band collaboration of C+L Nano iTLA, Litecore helps double the wavelength channel capacity per fiber from the traditional C-band 120×50GHz to the C+L band 240×50GHz, corresponding to a 100% increase in spectrum utilization. It effectively solves the problem of spectrum congestion in scenarios where G.652 optical fiber resources are limited. Relying on the in-depth integration of spectral resource expansion and photonic integration technology, Litecore is quietly promoting the optical communication industry from the era dominated by the C-band to a new era of capacity revolution with C+L collaboration.