SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 -- GigOptix Inc. has announced sampling of the GX6261, a 40-Gbps differential quadrature phase-shift keying (DQPSK) modulator driver in surface mounted technology (SMT) for metro and long-haul optical transponders.
“The GX6261 represents a significant addition to GigOptix’s growing high speed driver portfolio and it is generating a lot of customer interest,” commented Padraig O’Mathuna, director of product marketing at GigOptix. “Our early engagement customers have indicated that competitor parts consume 50% more power than the GX6261 and require 40% more real estate on the circuit board. Both savings are significant since each 40G transponder requires two of these drivers and this enables our customers to design much lower power transponders and the smaller form factor is more convenient for compact transponder design.”
O’Mathuna also added that the GX6261 is important in GigOptix’s strategy of providing the optical communication industry with the lowest power devices for optical links as the company covers both ends of the link with power efficient products. A 40G DQPSK transponder not only requires two drivers such as the GX6261 on the transmit side but also a linear TIA such as GigOptix’s recently announced GX3220 on the receive side. The GX6261/GX3220 combination represents the industry’s lowest power and smallest chipset for a 40G DPQSK transponder implementation, the company asserts.
“Higher bandwidth links are needed to satisfy the explosive growth in demand for network capacity. 40G is a reality today with systems being deployed by many operators. We predict it will grow quickly over the next few years as technology innovation enables it to be as cost-effective as 10G,” commented Daryl Inniss, vice president and practice leader of communications components at Ovum. “The introduction of lower cost, lower power, and smaller size SMT devices all contribute to enabling 40G transponders to begin to effectively compete with 10G designs and thereby facilitate mass adoption.”
Ovum's most recent WAN optical components market forecast projects that the volume of 40G optical transmitters will grow from 20,000 units in 2009 to 183,000 in 2013 (CAGR 71%), with DQPSK being the fastest growing segment of the 40G telecom market.
Samples of the GX6261 are now available.