GigOptix, CIVCOM receive BIRD Foundation Grant for 40-Gbps optical transponder

DECEMBER 26, 2010 -- GigOptix, Inc. (OTCBB: GGOX) and CIVCOM Devices and Systems Ltd. say they were awarded a US-Israel Bi-national Industrial Research & Development (BIRD) Foundation grant to develop low-power, highly integrated components and modules for 40-Gbps and 100-Gbps communication systems.

The grant will initially help fund the development of a Small Form Factor (SFF) 40-Gbps RZ-DQPSK transponder. GigOptix will develop an integrated 40-Gbps RZ-DQPSK optical modulator and the corresponding broadband amplifiers to drive the modulator while CIVCOM will develop and manufacture the 40-Gbps RZ-DQPSK SFF transponder.

"The BIRD Foundation acts to encourage collaboration between Israeli and American companies in various fields of technology" said Eitan Yudilevich, Ph.D., executive director of the BIRD Foundation. "Consumers' use of Smartphones and the advent of cloud computing are requiring network operators to upgrade to faster 40-Gbps infrastructure to keep pace with increasing bandwidth demand. GigOptix and CIVCOM are combining outstanding U.S. and Israeli human resources and technologies to develop an industry-leading telecommunications solution to address these demanding network operator requirements."

Under the grant, GigOptix will leverage its Thin Film Polymer on Silicon (TFPS) technology to implement an integrated 40-Gb/s RZ-DQPSK optical modulator in a single package. Currently 40-Gbps RZ-DQPSK optical modulation is implemented using two separate Lithium Niobate modulators; the first implements RZ modulation and the second DQPSK modulation. The integrated GigOptix modulator will be significantly smaller than the discrete approach, the company says; the integrated GigOptix device will be smaller than a single Lithium Niobate modulator, the company says.

The broadband RF driver and optical modulator teams will optimize the interoperability between the modulator and the driver to enable further reduction in power consumption and overall footprint of the electro-optic transmission system. This size and power reduction will enable CIVCOM to shrink the size of its 40-Gbps RZ-DQPSK transponder to the size of current 10-Gbps transponders, GigOptix adds.

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