AUGUST 17, 2009 -- GigOptix Inc. (search Lightwave for GigOptix) has announced that Photon-X (search Lightwave for Photon-X), a manufacturer of advanced fiber-optic and radio-frequency (RF) photonic devices and subsystems, will use its 100G LX8900 Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) in developing new RF photonic devices.
With an optical bandwidth of 65 GHz, the LX8900 enables customers to modulate a signal's phase and amplitude at ultrahigh frequencies in the optical domain. Existing modulation mechanisms operating at these frequencies suffer from drawbacks such as narrow bandwidth and high power dissipation. Optical modulator technologies such as lithium niobate and indium phosphide are not able to perform at these high speeds, says GigOptix. The LX8900 MZM, due to the intrinsic properties of the GigOptix electro-optic (EO) polymer material, is able to operate at ultrahigh frequencies and provide a broadband response in a small, low-power, radiation-hard form factor. The LX8900 and its future derivatives are expected to have applicability in defense and aerospace and be used in phase-array radar, antenna remoting, RF beam steering, and ultrahigh-frequency signal mixing applications.
"This collaboration with Photon-X is a great opportunity to leverage our technology beyond the high-speed optical communications arena into new markets such as wideband RF photonics in defense and aerospace systems," says Andrea Betti-Berutto, chief technical officer of GigOptix. "The LX8900 is a unique product in terms of its high speed and broadband operation and it is a great addition to our expanding RF solution portfolio of broadband amplifier devices."
"GigOptix electro-optic polymer technology provides a very exciting opportunity for us to develop new, innovative high-speed and wideband products in the RF photonics space," says Renfeng Gao, director of Photon-X. "The LX8900's bandwidth and performance characteristics are very impressive and we believe will open up a whole new realm of RF photonic applications."
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