News

28 July 2010

 

GigOptix’s 40G DQPSK driver IC enters mass production

GigOptix Inc of Palo Alto, CA, USA, which designs modulator and laser drivers and transimpedance amplifier (TIA) ICs based on III-V materials as well as polymer electro-optic modulators, says that its GX6261 40G driver for differential quadrature phase-shift keying (DQPSK) systems, has entered mass production and is now shipping in volume (together with GigOptix’s previously announced portfolio of GX3240 and GX3220 DQPSK receiver amplifiers) to tier-1 telecom customers.

“The GX6261 ramp to production confirms industry analysts’ predictions of strong demands for high-speed 40G and 100G systems,” says VP of marketing Padraig O’Mathuna. “40G DQPSK is now one of the fastest-growing segments in the optical communications space. It is being deployed within metropolitan networks to economically address the bandwidth bottlenecks caused by the exponential growth in enterprise and consumer traffic generated by increased usage of smartphones and IPTV,” he adds.

“We developed the GX6261 in close cooperation with our tier-1 customer to address their DQPSK application and we are now their platform’s sole driver solution,” continues O'Mathuna. “GigOptix is now very well positioned to benefit from the clear market demand for more bandwidth based on not only our broad portfolio of production-ready 40G solutions (including not only the GX6261 driver but also our GX3440 40G DPSK receiver amplifier and GX3240 and GX3220 40G DQPSK receiver amplifiers), but also our product portfolio for 100G applications,” he adds. “We expect the GX6261 to be a significant contributor to our future growth.”

The GX6261 is a high-voltage differential driver for 40G DQSPK Mach–Zehnder modulators used in long-haul and metro optical transponders. Key features include: excellent electrical eye performance; small footprint in a compact 6mm x 6mm surface-mounted device with simpler system manufacturability due to in-package integrated high-frequency coils; and low power dissipation (typically 1W lower than comparable competition), for a total saving of 2W per transponder (since two drivers are used per DQPSK transponder).

“40G DWDM is one of the fastest-growing segments in optical communications,” notes Daryl Inniss, VP & practice leader at market research firm Ovum. “We expect to see the demand continue to expand as operators transition from 10G to 40G to address the increased demand by consumers and enterprises for more bandwidth,” he adds. “We especially see major DQPSK technology deployments happening in Asia.” In its most recent report on 40G components, Ovum forecasted that the 40G DWDM market for DQPSK drivers would grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44% from $14m in 2010 to more than $34m in 2015.

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