Avanex launches optoelectronics foundry services, line of standard chips
March 3, 2005 Fremont, CA -- Avanex, a global provider of optical components, today announced that it will be offering foundry services for the fabrication of custom optoelectronic components to support data communications, telecommunications, medical, defense, and instrumentation applications. In a joint announcement, the company also introduced a set of standard optoelectronics chips with applications in those markets.
According to a press release, the company's foundry services and optoelectronics chips are based on advanced Indium Phosphide (InP), Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), and Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3) technologies, all of which have been proven to meet stringent requirements of functionality and reliability in demanding telecommunications applications.
"Our expansion into foundry services and the development of optoelectronics chips for applications outside the telecommunications industry is a natural progression of our business," explains Jo Major, president and CEO of Avanex. "We have more than 15 years of experience with Indium Phosphide and Lithium Niobate processes and four years of experience with field-proven GaAs technology, all backed by a number of patents and licenses."
Foundry services offered include custom design capabilities, epitaxy, wafer processing with different wafer size capability, optical analysis, structural analysis, morphological analysis, material characterization, and electro-optic performance assessment and screening. Industrial equipment will support processes such as photolithography, thin-film deposition for passivation and facet coating, sputtering, E-beam evaporation, wet and dry etching, and electroplating.
With the benefit of large Class 100 and 1000 clean rooms and an ISO 9000-compliant quality system, the company claims to offer a unique "building block" approach that engenders built-in reliability and performance. According to the company, this approach means that process equipment can be fully shared between lines, and that introduction of new products is more efficient, since developments re-use existing building blocks with established reliability.
In addition to foundry services, the company also introduced a set of standard high-performance optical InP and GaAs chips suited for applications in telecommunications, data communications, medical, defense, and instrumentation. The chip offering includes Fabry-Perot (FP) and Distributed Feedback (DFB) laser chips, monolithically integrated Electro-absorption Modulator Laser (EML) chips, pump laser chips, and PIN, APD, or monitoring photodiode chips.
The chips are currently grouped into four product families:
* PowerBeam uncooled and directly modulated laser chips for telecommunications, data communications, and instrumentation applications.
* PowerBright electro-absorption modulated laser chips for DWDM and TDM applications.
* PowerIntense pump laser chips for telecommunications and medical applications.
* PowerDetect monitoring and digital signal PIN photodiodes for telecommunications, instrumentation, and optical signal monitoring.
The company's products will be on display at next week's OFC/NFOEC conference, in Hall C, Booth 2041.