Coherent has begun sampling its latest 400 mW continuous-wave (CW) lasers designed for co-packaged optics (CPO) and silicon photonics, positioning the company at the center of next-generation optical interconnect development. Announced at ECOC 2025 in Copenhagen, the devices deliver stable output power above 400 mW at 55°C, spectral linewidths below 200 kHz, and relative intensity noise (RIN) below -145 dB/Hz. The lasers operate at 1311 nm and come in a compact chip-on-carrier format.
The devices are built on Coherent’s Buried-Heterostructure Distributed-Feedback (BH DFB) laser platform, known for enabling production-grade reliability at advanced performance levels. Engineering samples are available now, with general availability and volume production planned for Q3 2026. The lasers expand Coherent’s photonic device portfolio for demanding datacenter and optical networking applications.
Coherent also highlighted its upcoming 6-inch indium phosphide (InP) fab in Sherman, Texas, which will expand its production capacity more than fivefold. This facility will support the global demand for InP lasers used in silicon photonics and CPO. Visitors can view the new lasers and other photonic solutions at Coherent’s ECOC 2025 booth (C3124).
- 400 mW CW laser output at 1311 nm with stable performance at 55°C
- Narrow spectral linewidth below 200 kHz
- Low relative intensity noise (RIN) below -145 dB/Hz
- Built on BH DFB laser platform in chip-on-carrier format
- Engineering samples shipping now; volume production Q3 2026
- New 6-inch InP fab in Texas to increase laser manufacturing capacity by 5x
“Our new 400 mW CW lasers enable breakthrough performance in silicon photonics and co-packaged optics,” said Kou-Wei Wang, VP and GM of Photonic Devices at Coherent. “By offering stable high output power and exceptionally low noise, we are solving one of the toughest challenges in optical interconnects.”
🌐 Analysis: Details on Coherent’s new lasers point to a strategy of scaling high-performance photonics for CPO and silicon photonics platforms, both critical to AI-driven datacenter buildouts. The new 6-inch InP fab in Texas underscores the company’s investment in securing future supply amid growing global demand. Competitors such as Lumentum, II-VI, and Infinera are also racing to meet hyperscaler requirements for reliable, high-power laser sources in next-generation optical architectures.
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