OTTAWA -- Zarlink Semiconductor (NYSE/TSE:ZL) has designed and demonstrated a patent-pending, large-aperture VCSEL that increases the performance and reliability of multi-gigabit, VSR optical interconnect equipment. In laboratory tests, the 12-micron aperture VCSEL achieved 10 Gb/s transmission at 80 degrees centigrade over 300 meters of high bandwidth fiber, with a power penalty of only 0.5dB (optical decibels). Zarlink's large-aperture 850nm VCSEL is also capable of transmitting light at even higher speeds. "This success may result in a highly reliable, large-aperture 10 Gb/s VCSEL that transmits farther than the industry-standard 300 meters, at data rates extending beyond 10 Gb/s," said Jitesh Vadhia, vice president and general manager, Optical Systems division, Zarlink Semiconductor. Zarlink Semiconductor Inc.