NPO/CPO Optical Engine Packaging in the AI Era: Discussions and Engineering Practices

  
  Dr. Quan Cao 

  Optical Device Expert，Wuhan Fisilink Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. ，China

Abstract:

To address the urgent demand of AI computing power for ultra-high I/O bandwidth and energy efficiency, NPO (Near-Packaged Optics) and CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) are emerging as key pathways to break through the "power wall" and "density wall" of traditional electrical interconnects. Among them, NPO is currently attracting significant industry attention due to its excellent balance of signal integrity, thermal management, supply chain flexibility, and system maintainability.

This report systematically reviews the evolution of optical engines under NPO/CPO architectures, focusing on two major dimensions: first, the evolution of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), analyzing the transition from single-channel high-rate designs to multi-channel consistency designs; second, advanced packaging schemes, exploring 2.5D/3D integration, optoelectronic co-design, and assembly processes. The report also summarizes key engineering challenges such as low-crosstalk signal layouts, thermal management in hybrid packaging, and trade-offs between coupling efficiency and assembly yield, while sharing insights from product development practices to provide reference for future large-scale deployment.

Speaker's Biography: 

Dr. Quan Cao is the Head of Optical Component Technology at Wuhan Fisilink Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of CICT / FiberHome). With over a decade of dedication to silicon photonic integration, he has led the key technical breakthroughs and product commercialization for 64 Gbaud and 140 Gbaud coherent optical devices. Currently, he directs the technology research and development of the company's CPO/NPO optical engines.

Dr. Cao possesses a full-stack expertise in optoelectronic devices, spanning Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) design, device physics and architecture, specialty process development in silicon photonics foundries, and system-level application integration and testing. This end-to-end engineering capability across "chips, processes, packaging, and systems" enables him to bridge the gap between pioneering optoelectronic research and high-yield, mass-producible engineering solutions. Having deeply driven the design and deployment of multiple generations of high-speed optical interconnect products, the coherent optical modules developed under his leadership are running stably in live telecom networks and data centers. He is a key contributor to transitioning China's silicon photonics ecosystem from laboratory research to commercial deployment.