GigOptix ramps 40G driver shipments

PALO ALTO, USA: GigOptix Inc., a leading supplier of high performance electronic and electro-optic components that enable next generation 40G and 100G optical networks, announced that its GX6261, a 40G driver for Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) systems, has entered mass production and is now shipping in volume with GigOptix’ previously announced portfolio of GX3240 and GX3220 DQPSK receiver amplifiers to Tier 1 telecom customers.

Padraig O’Mathuna, GigOptix Vice President of Marketing stated: "The GX6261 ramp to production confirms industry analysts’ predictions of strong demands for high speed 40G and 100G systems. 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.

"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. 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. 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 of the GX6261 include: excellent electrical eye performance; small footprint in a compact 6x6mm2 surface mounted device with simpler system manufacturability due to in-package integrated high frequency coils; low power dissipation with typically 1W lower compared to comparable competition for a total saving of 2W per transponder since two drivers are used per DQPSK transponder.

Daryl Inniss, VP and Practice Leader at Ovum, commented: "40G DWDM is one of the fastest growing segments in optical communications. 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. We especially see major DQPSK technology deployments happening in Asia."

In their most recent report on 40G components, Ovum forecasted that the 40G DWDM market for DQPSK drivers would grow from $14 million in 2010 to over $34 million in 2015 with a CAGR of 44 percent.