EMCORE Corporation (NASDAQ: EMKR), a provider of semiconductor technologies for global communications applications, announced the availability of its first SC and LC TOSAs (Transmitter Optical Subassemblies) designed for 850 nm applications. EMCORE's Optical Device Division in Albuquerque, N.M. designed the TOSAs in order to bring to market a device that incorporates speed and reliability in a low-cost package. The package is ideal for easy integration into existing and new transceiver module designs.
Both products use the Company's 2.5 Gbps oxide VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser), which meets the performance requirements of short reach and very short reach multimode fiber optic applications, including LANs, SANs, backplane, rack-to-rack and intraswitch. Both TOSA packages perform at the 1 Gbps, 1.25 Gbps, 2.1 Gbps or 2.5 Gbps data rates, which are suitable for Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel and OC-48 applications. By offering a single product for all applications EMCORE enables their customers to reduce the number of inventory items they must carry.
According to ElectroniCast Corp., an independent market research firm located in San Mateo, CA, the VCSEL-based transceiver market took hold in 1999 with sales of $262 million, more than three times that of 1998. Fueled by the recent success of Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel, this explosive growth will continue, supported by a number of all-new applications, reaching $3.4 billion in 2004 and continuing on to $14.1 billion in 2009. ElectroniCast notes that the drivers for this dynamic growth are: rapid advancement of datacom standards, penetration of the telecom market, new opportunities within InfiniBand switch fabrics, and the aggressive deployment of intra-system array-VCSEL interconnects.
SC transceivers have the largest installed base in Gigabit Ethernet and 1.25 Gbps Fibre Channel applications, while LC transceivers are the fastest growing transceivers in the datacom market. The LC transceiver is a popular module for 2.125 Gbps Fibre Channel and OC-48 short reach applications and are becoming the standard for Gigabit Ethernet applications. Sample quantities from EMCORE for both the SC and LC TOSAs are available now, with production volumes to be available by the end of the second fiscal quarter.
EMCORE Corporation offers compound semiconductor products for the broadband and wireless communications and solid state lighting markets. EMCORE's solutions include: optical components for high speed data and telecommunications; solar cells for global satellite communications; electronic materials for high bandwidth communications systems, such as Internet access and wireless telephones; MOCVD tools and SiC epitaxial materials. For more information, visit www.emcore.com.