Mintera, ClariPhy to develop 2nd generation 40Gbps coherent product

ACTON & IRVINE, USA: Mintera Corp., the high performance optical transport systems solutions leader, and ClariPhy Communications Inc., a developer of high-speed mixed-signal networking ICs, announced a partnership to deliver a next-generation 40Gbps DWDM coherent optical transport solution.

Mintera’s MI 5000XM 40Gbps Polarization Multiplexed Quadrature Phase Shift Keyed (PM-QPSK) transceiver module will employ a state-of-the-art mixed-signal application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed and supplied by ClariPhy.

“Mintera is proud to be working in partnership with ClariPhy on the development of this product,” said Terry Unter, Mintera President and CEO. “The combination of Mintera’s market-proven optical and module design capability with ClariPhy’s silicon-proven experience in digital signal processing (DSP) and mixed-signal IC design will deliver a market-leading and much needed product in the 40 Gbps marketplace. We have been working in close collaboration for several months and expect to be shipping products in Q4 2010.”

The companies have entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement that includes joint specification and optimization of the ClariPhy ASIC and surrounding optical components, and which enables Mintera to be first to market with a module incorporating ClariPhy’s ASIC.

“We are excited to partner with Mintera and help bring their groundbreaking 40 Gbps coherent module to the market,” said Dr. Paul Voois, cofounder and CEO of ClariPhy.

“Mintera’s leadership position in the 40Gbps market, strong endorsements from tier-1 OEMs, and deep expertise in optical transmission make them an excellent lead partner for our 40Gbps coherent ASIC. In developing this ASIC, ClariPhy is building on its proven high-speed DSP and mixed-signal expertise to be the first to deliver a 40Gbps coherent ASIC in low-power single-chip CMOS technology. We look forward to introducing this ASIC in Mintera’s product line next year.”

The MI 5000XM 40Gbps PM-QPSK coherent module enables the design of cost effective transmission systems on the most demanding transmission routes. Compatible with Mintera’s MI 4000XM Adaptive-DPSK product on 50GHz channel-spaced systems and transmission over agile ROADM networks, the MI 5000XM enables Mintera’s customers to deliver best-in-class solutions.

The unit conforms to the industry standard footprint and incorporates an electrical Mux/Demux for compatibility with any 40 Gbps framer. The module has a 300-pin MSA connector with support for the appropriate I2C commands, thus enabling simple hardware and software integration.

“Aggressive growth in the 40Gbps WDM market, due to multiple wide scale network deployments now underway, has created the need for high performance DWDM modules to support the most demanding network transmission applications,” said Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst at Infonetics Research. “Mintera’s new MI 5000XM PM-QPSK Coherent 40Gbps product appears positioned to be a significant player in these deployments, given its capabilities of ultra-long haul reach and high tolerance to signal distortions.”