GigOptix silicon-based 100-Gbps Mach-Zehnder modulator integrated with DFB laser

GigOptix, Inc. (OTCQX: GGOX) announced last week at OFC/NFOEC in Los Angeles that its 100-Gbps Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) based on Thin Film Polymer on Silicon (TFPS) has been integrated with a 1550-nm distributed feedback (DFB) laser in a small form factor transmit optical subassembly (TOSA). The work was part of POLYSYS, a European Union (EU) funded research and development program that includes the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI).

POLYSYS combines a consortium of optical component suppliers and European research institutions to develop photonic and electrical components to enable 400-Gbps chip-to-chip and rack-to-rack datacenter technology. The goal of the program is to realize a monolithically integrated laser and modulator TOSA that will use GigOptix’s TFPS electro-optical polymer technology to integrate four lanes of 100-Gbps on/off-keying (OOK) lanes to implement the 400-Gbps link. The 100G TOSA is a first stage of this project.

Eric Miller, general manager of GigOptix Bothell, stated, "GigOptix’s TFPS is a highly flexible and scalable optical technology. It is capable not only of realizing high-performance 40-Gbps DPSK MZMs for long-haul optical links, such as our LX8401 solution, but also 100G and 400G data center devices as has been demonstrated by the POLYSYS consortium. We are very excited about this latest development and look forward to bringing integrated CMOS/TFPS optical devices to market in the near future.”

For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyers Guide.