Bookham Touches 40 Gig

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Bookham, Inc. (Nasdaq: BKHM), has announced that it has developed and demonstrated an ultra small, 5mm 40Gb/s Optical Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (ODQPSK) modulator chip, implemented through proprietary indium phosphide Mach Zehnder (InP MZ) technology. Bookham will combine this functionality with its highly successful tunable laser in new products specifically for use in the growing 40Gb/s market. The reduced size InP MZ platform will allow Bookham to offer 40Gb/s products in smaller footprints compared to existing 40Gb/s offerings employing larger optics.

The Bookham InP TL5000 Wideband Tunable iTLA has been proven for use in both 10 and 40Gb/s systems. Bookham is now combining the tunable laser with 40Gb/s MZ modulator chips from the company’s UK 3” wafer fab to demonstrate innovation in the 40Gb/s application space.

“The capability to offer high bit rate performance with our fully qualified, proven tunable laser and InP MZ modulator is crucial as vendors continue to evolve towards 40Gb/s networks,” said PLM Director, Adam Price. “40Gb/s roll out is still hampered by prohibitive pricing as we see 40Gb/s systems costing in excess of 10 times a 10Gb/s system. With our vertically integrated InP core technology and strength in the 10Gb/s market, we are able to drive significant disruption in order to enable 40Gb/s systems to be adopted at a cost point that allows widespread adoption.

Bookham Inc. (Nasdaq: BKHM; London: BHM)