Sierra Monolithics

Inphi® Corporation and Sierra Monolithics Successfully Demonstrate Interoperability between 40G Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) Driver and Multiplexer

September 22, 2008

REDONDO BEACH, CA -- Sierra Monolithics Inc.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- Inphi® Corporation Inphi® Corporation

“Inphi’s differential modulator driver fills the missing link in the 40G ecosystem,” said Jay Cormier, vice president of communications products and marketing at SMI. “Inphi’s 2514DZ works seamlessly with our MUX/CMU, the SMI4025. This demonstration paves the way for a rapid commercial development of 40G DQPSK systems.”

Loi Nguyen, Inphi vice president of PhyOptik business stated, “During the interoperability demonstration, an excellent 40G DQPSK optical signal was obtained using the SMI4025 MUX/CMU, Inphi’s 2514DZ modulator driver, and a third party modulator.” (See Figure 1). “Together, these components are a key enabling solution to meet the high bandwidth requirements in the industry.”

Both Inphi Corporation and Sierra Monolithics Inc. are participating in the 34th European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication (ECOC) in Brussels, Belgium, currently being held from September 21 – 25, 2008. Inphi (in booth #348) and Sierra Monolithics (in booth #2) are holding a joint demo at the show, which highlights Inphi’s 2514DZ modulator driver and SMI’s MUX/CMU, the SMI4025. This joint demo at ECOC 2008 is being shown in SMI’s booth #2

Figure 1: Output of 40G DQPSK modulator driven by Inphi 2514DZ drivers and Sierra Monolithics 4025 MUX.

DQPSK is an important modulation scheme for next-generation 40G optical transport systems. In 40G DQPSK transmission, two 20G NRZ electrical signals are optically modulated onto a single DQPSK optical bit stream at a rate of two bits per symbol. Thus, 40G DQPSK transmission occurs at one-half the symbol rates of a conventional NRZ modulation format, making it extremely resilient to impairments encountered in older fiber. System designers have demonstrated the effectiveness of 40G DQPSK systems for years, but until now, the components required to develop commercial systems have not been available.

Inphi, the market leader in 40G transimpedance amplifiers and the leading supplier of modulator drivers, announced the industry’s highest performing differential modulator driver in the market, the 2514DZ, in January of this year. Already, this advanced solution is being used worldwide by more than 10 top tier OEMs and module vendors developing next-generation 40G and 100G optical communications solutions. Available for sampling immediately, Inphi’s 2514DZ modulator driver is expected to be available in production quantities in Q1 2009. Sierra Monolithics, the recognized world leader in both 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps SerDes, has a broad portfolio of products for both short-reach and long-reach applications that covers all the popular modulation formats used today. The 40G DQPSK SerDes chipset (SMI4025 & SMI4035) is available now, and is shipping in production quantities to the majority of OEMs using the 40G DQPSK modulation format.

About Inphi Corporation
Inphi Corporation is an industry leader in the innovation of high-performance analog components that serve a broad set of markets and applications including communications, computing and networking. Leading corporations rely on Inphi for components that transport, store, deliver, and test high-speed data for the world’s most innovative systems. Inphi is recognized as a global technology leader for its excellence in design, dedication to the development of open standards, and commitment to R&D. Learn more about Inphi Corporation by visiting www.inphi-corp.com, or call +1-805-446-5100

About Sierra Monolithics
Sierra Monolithics, Inc. is a leading supplier of proven Analog and Mixed Signal IC solutions for Optical Communication, Wireless, and Microwave/Millimeter Wave applications. Founded in 1988, Sierra Monolithics has leveraged its mixed signal IC design and expertise in high-frequency aerospace and defense communications, to develop a variety of high performance Optical ICs, RFICs, and MMICs. Currently Sierra Monolithics designs and manufactures products for Broadband Wireless (WiMAX RFICs), Optical Communication (OC-768 SerDes), and Microwave/Millimeter Wave (C, I, J, Ku, and L band modules) markets.

Sierra Monolithics is privately held, and is headquartered in Redondo Beach, California. The venture-backed company's primary funding is from Storm Ventures and U.S. Venture Partners in Menlo Park, California. For more information on Sierra Monolithics, please visit www.monolithics.com, or call +1-310-698-1000.

CONTACT: Public Relations, Sierra Monolithics

back