SOMERSET, N.J. -- ASIP, Inc. announced today it is entering the market for advanced optical devices with a family of next-generation products, customer contracts and revenue, and an ambitious vision for the future of optical integration. ASIP’s patented Asymmetric TwinGuide (ATG) technology is a highly scalable, low cost platform designed to simplify optical integration for subsystem developers designing equipment for the telecommunications and enterprise networking markets. ASIP has been shipping product samples since the first quarter of 2002 and has multiple customer contracts with companies developing the next-generation of small form-factor transceivers such as XFP, X2 and XPAK. In addition, ASIP recognized its first product revenues in the third quarter of 2002. All of ASIP’s products are built on the ATG platform, enabling the company to offer its customers a wide variety of integrated products at higher performance-cost ratios and faster design cycles.Founded in July 2000 by researchers from Princeton University, and complemented by a talented team from the optics and semiconductor industries, ASIP has developed a revolutionary method for designing photonic integrated circuits that use an advanced material system known as Indium Phosphide. Together, ASIP and Princeton have found a way to eliminate the major limitation of Indium Phosphide-based devices in its development of ATG technology. Steve Forrest, an internationally-recognized researcher in semiconductor materials science and the co-founder and chairman of ASIP, said, “For years, Indium Phosphide has been considered the holy grail of optical materials, but until now, it has failed to deliver on that promise because of poor yields. ASIP and Princeton have developed a way to eliminate the major limitation of Indium Phosphide-based devices: the use of complex wafer re-growth. With ATG, instead of complex re-growth, we use standard — and proven — semiconductor processing techniques. With a higher yield process, ASIP is then able to integrate a greater variety of optical functions such as lasers, detectors, waveguides, and amplifiers on a single device. More integration translates directly to reduced cost for system designers.”In a separate release:ASIP, Inc., an emerging leader in the development of photonic integrated circuits, announced today the availability of its first commercial product, the 10T101, which is a 10Gb/s, 1310nm Electro-absorption Modulated Laser (EML). The 10T101 significantly improves the quality and design margin of 10 Gb/s data links, while eliminating the need for power-hungry thermoelectric coolers, normally required when using EML sources. ASIP’s 10T101 is targeted at the next-generation of optical transceivers that will serve both the enterprise and telecom markets. Sample quantities of ASIP’s 10T101 are available immediately, with volume production in the first quarter of 2003. “With the 10T101 EML, ASIP is simultaneously demonstrating the unique potential of its technology platform, while delivering to the marketplace a highly sought-after product,” said Mike Decelle, ASIP president and CEO. “Subsystem developers no longer must choose between laser quality and laser cost when designing the new generation of 10G transceivers. The 10T101 delivers the superior performance of EMLs - without the use of thermoelectric coolers - and at a price point that is competitive with Direct-Modulated Lasers (DMLs).”The ASIP 10T101 is first being offered in a Chip-on-Submount (CoS) form-factor and is optimized for use in module Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) applications, such as XFP, X2 and XPAK. These next-generation modules will serve a variety of applications including 10Gb/s Ethernet, 10Gb/s Fibre Channel and OC-192/STM-64 SONET/SDH. Unlike 10Gbps DMLs, the ASIP 10T101 maintains high extinction ratio, wide bandwidth and very low jitter across its operating temperature range of 0° to 85°C. The 10T101 submount can be designed to specific customer requirements and provides for a integrated monitor photodiode, thermistor and bias tee. ASIP Inc.