13 June 2012

GigOptix’s optical driver and receiver chipset used in high-speed interconnects for consumer HD information transfer

GigOptix Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (a fabless supplier of semiconductor and optical components for high-speed information streaming) says that its HXR/T4104 high-speed optical driver and receiver chipset is being used in the high-speed data interconnect module of a leading consumer electronics manufacturer for high-definition (HD) TV and next-generation HD information transfer. The devices enable much higher data transfer rates over longer distances and at lower costs compared with competing technologies, it is claimed.

The optical module is current used in a high-definition camera, and the application is pushing the technology envelope from HD TV at 3.7Gbps to next-generation HD transfer speeds beyond 40Gbps, which will enable a four-fold increase in frame rate and support multi-view HD 3D imaging. The consumer electronics manufacturer has, for the first time, enabled a mass-production technology for VCSEL-based optical interconnect modules by eliminating the need for lenses to couple the fiber to the VCSEL vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser). This was enabled by the development of new assembly technology that connects the optical fiber with the VCSEL using a silicon interposer that allows fully automated assembly. The resulting module can transmit data at up to 40Gbps. This not only provides much higher data rates over longer distances but it is also more cost competitive compared to existing copper interconnect solutions.

The HXR/T4104 chipset consists of the HXT4104 4x10.3Gb/s parallel VCSEL driver and the HXR4104 4x10.3Gb/s parallel limiting transimpedance amplifier (TIA). These two devices address 40Gbps active cable and consumer applications. The chipset simplifies system design by being fully programmable via an industry-standard 2-wire interface. This provides full control of signal peaking, modulation and average currents, in addition to providing access to temperature and output power monitoring on a channel-by-channel basis.

“Increasing amounts of data are used in modern consumer applications, and legacy copper-based interconnects are being challenged to transfer data at the speeds and at the low power being demanded by consumer applications,” says senior VP & chief technology officer Andrea Betti-Berutto. “Optical communication has been adopted by both telecom and datacom markets since it inherently transfers data faster and with lower power compared to copper-based communication,” he adds. “Optical communication has been less attractive for consumer applications to date due to the higher manufacturing costs. We are very excited to see a leading consumer electronics player solve this issue and enable optical communications in consumer applications.”

Tags: GigOptix

Visit: www.gigoptix.com