GigOptix, CIVCOM receive BIRD Foundation grant to develop highly integrated 40Gb/s optical telecom transponder

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, and CIVCOM Devices and Systems LTD (CIVCOM), were awarded a US-Israel Bi-national Industrial Research & Development (BIRD) Foundation grant to develop low power, highly integrated components and modules for next generation 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s communication systems.

The grant will initially help fund the development of a Small Form Factor (SFF) 40Gb/s RZ-DQPSK transponder. GigOptix will develop an integrated 40Gb/s RZ-DQPSK optical modulator and the corresponding broadband amplifiers to drive the modulator while CIVCOM will develop and manufacture the 40Gb/s RZ-DQPSK SFF transponder.

“The BIRD Foundation acts to encourage collaboration between Israeli and American companies in various fields of technology,” said Eitan Yudilevich, executive director of the BIRD Foundation.

“Consumers’ use of Smartphones and the advent of cloud computing are requiring network operators to upgrade to faster 40Gb/s infrastructure to keep pace with increasing bandwidth demand. GigOptix and CIVCOM are combining outstanding US and Israeli human resources and technologies to develop an industry leading telecom solution to address these demanding network operator requirements.”

Under the grant, GigOptix will leverage its Thin Film Polymer on Silicon (TFPS™) technology to implement an integrated 40Gb/s RZ-DQPSK optical modulator in a single package. Currently, 40Gb/s RZ-DQPSK optical modulation is implemented using two separate Lithium Niobate modulators, the first implements RZ modulation and the second DQPSK modulation.

The integrated GigOptix solution will be significantly smaller to the discrete approach with the integrated GigOptix solution being smaller than one of the competing Lithium Niobate modulators.

Further, GigOptix broadband RF driver and optical modulator teams will optimize the interoperability between the modulator and the driver to enable further reduction in power consumption and overall footprint of the electro-optic transmission system. This size and power reduction will enable CIVCOM to shrink the size of its 40G RZ-DQPSK transponder to the size of current 10G transponders.

Gabby Shpirer, CEO of CIVCOM, stated: “CIVCOM is excited to work with GigOptix to develop this highly integrated 40Gb/s RZ-DQPSK optical telecommunications transponder. We are honored that the BIRD Foundation understands the benefits that our solution coupled with GigOptix’s TFPS technology will provide the market.”

“The BIRD Foundation has helped many technological collaborations come to fruition between US and Israeli companies and we are looking forward to collaborating with CIVCOM under this generous BIRD Foundation grant,” stated Dr. Avi Katz, GigOptix’s chairman of the Board, CEO and president.

“We anticipate that close cooperation with CIVCOM, an optical transponder pioneer, on this innovative 40Gb/s transponder will significantly help in improving our TFPS technology and accelerate the time to market of our innovative solutions.”