29 February 2012

GigOptix books $1.8m order for 100G coherent drivers for tier-1 DWDM system

GigOptix Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which supplies semiconductor and optical components including modulator and laser drivers and transimpedance amplifier ICs based on III-V materials) has received a $1.8m purchase order for its 100G Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) quad-driver (a customized version of the GX62451) for use in a tier-1 telecom 100G DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) networking system.

“With this significant order, deliverable in the first quarter of 2012, we see clear confirmation of the accelerating deployment of 100G systems by the industry,” says VP of marketing Padraig O'Mathuna. Subsequent, similar orders will continue through 2012, adds the firm.

The GX62451 100G dual-polarization quadrature phase-shift keying (DP-QPSK) driver is a 4-channel MZM driver designed for 100G DP-QPSK long-haul optical transmitters. It is GPPO connectorized and is plug-in compatible with industry-standard 100G multiplexer and MZMs. Featuring embedded high-speed connectors, its form-factor design not only ensures optimal RF coupling with the 100G MZM inputs but also occupies less board-level real estate than comparable surface-mounted device solutions.

“These systems are addressing the exploding bandwidth demands being generated by the adoption of smartphones and cloud-based services by consumers,” O'Mathuna says. “We expect to see accelerating demand for our driver solutions in 2012, and the 100G market to be a major growth engine for our company.”

In its recent optical components report, market research firm Ovum identified 100G as the fastest-growing segment within optical communications, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 107%.

Tags: GigOptix Coherent drivers

Visit: www.gigoptix.com