Oclaro (San Jose, CA), a supplier of optical components and modules for communications, industrial, and consumer applications, announced the availability of a new vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) for the rapidly developing Intel (Santa Clara, CA) Light Peak technology market, designed to leverage optical technology to connect electronic devices such as peripherals, workstations, displays, disk drives and docking stations (see also "Light comes to the computer chip").
Because existing electrical cable technology in mainstream computing devices is approaching practical limits for speed and length, Intel's Light Peak platform using optical technology is designed to deliver high bandwidth starting at 10 gigabits per second (Gbps), which enables a full-length Blu-Ray movie to be transmitted in less than 30 seconds. The technology has the potential to scale to 100 Gbps over the next decade.
"A core part of Oclaro's strategy is to expand into adjacent markets where we can leverage our optical technology and solutions to deliver value for customers," said Yves Le Maitre, executive VP and division manager of the Advanced Photonics Solutions Division, Oclaro. "Oclaro has already ramped very high volume production of similar VCSEL lasers in another consumer application and, as a result, has the technology and manufacturing scale necessary to effectively serve the Light Peak market."
Light Peak consists of a controller chip and an optical module that would be included in platforms supporting this technology. The optical module performs the conversion from electricity to light and vice versa, using miniature lasers and photo detectors. Intel plans to supply the controller chip, and Oclaro's new VCSEL is ideally suited, with an inherently reliable design at a competitive cost point.
For more information, go to www.oclaro.com.
