1 February 2012

Inphi and NeoPhotonics collaborate on 100G optical modules

Inphi Corp, a provider of high-speed analog ICs for the communications and computing markets, is collaborating with NeoPhotonics Corp of San Jose, CA - a vertically integrated designer and manufacturer of photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based modules and subsystems for bandwidth-intensive, high-speed communications networks - to facilitate and accelerate deployment of next-generation 100G optical solutions for high-density data center and cloud computing as well as 100G transport applications.

NeoPhotonics makes PICs based on hybrid silica-on-silicon technology, but last October acquired Santur Corp of Fremont, CA, a vertically integrated designer and manufacturer focused on commercializing indium phosphide (InP) PIC-based tunable laser array and packaging technologies for communications applications. 

Inphi will offer its portfolio of 100G TIA and 100GbE iPHY solutions - which include PHY and clock data recovery (CDR) chipsets along with its transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) - for NeoPhotonics to use in its 100G optical product developments. Inphi’s mixed-signal devices are designed to provide NeoPhotonics higher performance and lower power consumption for next-generation optical modules and subsystems for high-speed transport and client-side applications.

Based on its patented iPHY architecture, Inphi last October announced the availability of its low-power CMOS PHY and CDR solutions for 100GbE alongside the availability of its high-performance 100GbE TIA. Its CMOS PHYs and CDRs offer a substantial savings in power – 3x less than currently available offerings, it is claimed – in an area footprint reduced by 2x, while improving reliability without sacrificing performance.

“We continue to demonstrate our commitment to the ultra-high-speed segment of the optical market by working with industry leaders like Inphi to offer high-speed products for transport, cloud and data center applications,” says NeoPhotonics’ chairman & CEO Tim Jenks. “Our next-generation 100G optical solutions can benefit from Inphi’s technology leadership position in the 100G market and help us deliver high levels of performance and low power consumption for our PIC-based product portfolio,” he adds.

The collaboration with NeoPhotonics aims to accelerate the deployment of power- and area-efficient, cost-optimized 100G products for cloud and enterprise data centers as well as for transport applications, according to Inphi’s president & CEO Young K. Sohn. “Inphi remains uniquely positioned to deliver a platform-level 100GbE solution with its portfolio of CMOS PHY ICs and high-performance PMD products, which will allow for faster deployment of next-generation 100GbE optical solutions in enterprise, data-center and service provider networks,” he claims.

Cost-effective, energy-efficient 100GbE links will soon become essential tools for data-center and service provider networks, which are struggling to satisfy the global economy’s hunger for more bandwidth, the firms say. With service providers and data centers demanding technology with low power consumption, Inphi’s iPHY CMOS PHY solutions and NeoPhotonics PIC-based modules and sub-systems are designed to provide easy upgrades to 100GbE networks while retaining a lower carbon footprint.

Tags: Inphi NeoPhotonics 100G optical modules

Visit: www.inphi.com

Visit: www.neophotonics.com