Communications mixed-signal semiconductor developer Inphi Corp. (NYSE: IPHI) says its 100-Gbps CMOS PHY/SerDes Gearbox (GB) ICs are now fully available – a milestone the company asserts is an industry first.
The GB ICs are single-chip, 100GBASE-xR4 and OTL4.4 10:4 gearboxes for high-density 100G line cards with 25- to 28-Gbps interfaces. The GB ICs come in two configurations:
- IN112510 100G GB for line cards, used alongside CFP2 or CFP4 modules
- IN012510 100G GB for use in CFP modules.
Both are available in ball grid array (BGA) packaging and are designed to exceed IEEE 802.3ba, OIF-28G-VSR, and ITU specifications. Thanks to the use of CMOS as well as the company’s iPHY architecture, the devices consuming less than 2.5 W in a 16x16-mm package. Compared to alternatives based on SiGe or using FPGAs, the gearboxes consume one-third the power and half the area, Inphi asserts.
"The availability of a production ready 100G CMOS PHY/SerDes GB paves the way for the next wave of low cost and higher volume deployments of 100G client interfaces,” according to Jag Bolaria, senior analyst at The Linley Group. “By being the first to reach this milestone, Inphi is in a leading position to benefit from these new deployments with a 100G GB IC that leads on power and feature set."
Inphi will display the gearboxes as well as other new devices for 100-Gbps applications in stand #603 at ECOC 2012 in Amsterdam, on September 17-19, 2012.
For more information on communications semiconductors and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.