Inphi Integrated Circuits Break 80 Gbps Barrier

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Jan. 30 -- Fabless optical components company Inphi Corp. said it has demonstrated demultiplexers running at a data rate of more than 80 gigabits (Gbps) per second.

These integrated circuits (ICs) convert a single high-speed serial data stream into four differential outputs within telecommunication transceivers. They are designed in indium phosphide, "an extremely fast semiconductor material that is paving the way for robust, error-free OC-768 networks," Inphi said.

The company said its 80 Gbps achievement in indium phosphide exceeds recently published results in silicon germanium, which reached half-rate speeds of only 56 Gbps. The Inphi 80 Gbps circuits are based on a half-rate architecture, which is equivalent in terms of clock rate to a full-rate circuit running at 40 Gbps. These half-rate circuits dissipate 1.3 watts of power at 80 Gbps operation and 400 milliwatts of power at 40 Gbps operation -- levels comparable to existing OC-192 components.

"This latest achievement clearly solidifies Inphi's position as a technology leader in the optical components space," said Gopal Raghavan, Inphi cofounder and CTO. "We have now demonstrated the fastest half-rate and full-rate indium phosphide parts for applications at speeds of 40 Gbps and higher."