Sanmina-SCI, GigOptix announce optical polymer modulator manufacturing partnership

SAN JOSE & PALO ALTO, USA: Sanmina-SCI Corp., a leading global EMS company, and GigOptix, a leading provider of electronic engines for the optically connected digital world, have announced a manufacturing partnership to produce GigOptix' revolutionary high bandwidth polymer modulator designed for 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s long-haul optical transponders.

"This partnership with GigOptix exemplifies Sanmina-SCI's optical strategy to provide significant value-added manufacturing services across the entire range of optical products," said Dave Dutkowsky, Executive Vice President of Sanmina-SCI's Communications Infrastructure Division.

"We offer the most comprehensive and technologically advanced service capabilities in the optical manufacturing segment which we use to develop unique and innovative solutions for our customers. We will be providing GigOptix with industry leading design, process development, test development, manufacturing and supply chain management services across Sanmina-SCI's global optical infrastructure, including our optical manufacturing capability in China."

"Just over a year since the GigOptix acquisition of Lumera we are now gearing up for volume production. The prospects for this and our future modulators look very positive as major customers we have been visiting see the benefits of our technology, and also value that GigOptix offers a full suite of driver, modulator and receiver TIAs for 10, 40 and 100Gb/s which eases interoperability challenges," stated Dr. Avi Katz, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors for GigOptix.

"This partnership is bringing immediate benefits to our products. We selected Sanmina-SCI due to their world-class optical manufacturing capabilities, competitive cost structure and ideal location for servicing the important China market, and are delighted with their solid vote of confidence in our revolutionary modulators."

The first product for the partnership to be brought to production is the GigOptix LX8401, a 40Gb/s DPSK Mach-Zehnder modulator that will be the industry's first EO polymer modulator. Planned to be fully qualified for volume production in the fourth quarter of 2010, it will offer price and specification advantages over currently available products.

Benefits include its low power consumption and small size. At just 84mm in length, the LX8401 is not only 30 percent shorter than comparable Lithium Niobate modulators, but also fits easily into a 3.5" by 4.5" SFF (small form factor) 300pin transponder. GigOptix proprietary materials technology has been under development for several years and is now optimized for thermal and optical stability to the telecom requirements of 85 degrees C for 25 years.

GigOptix, in partnership with Sanmina-SCI, intends to bring a family of modulators to production to address the various modulation formats – DPSK, DQPSK and DP-QPSK covering 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s for telecom and RF communication market applications. The polymer modulator chips, based on GigOpitx' proprietary and protected technology, are designed, developed and produced by GigOptix while the optical packaging is jointly
developed and then manufactured by Sanmina-SCI.

Sanmina-SCI has design, manufacturing and logistics facilities strategically located in every region of the world, including the Shenzhen, China Optical facility. Sanmina-SCI provides more than 30 years of optical design and engineering experience to its customers.