ALLENTOWN, Pa., May 29 -- Agere Systems announced the industry's lowest-voltage, highest-bandwidth lithium niobate modulator for use in 40 Gb/s optical networking systems. With this component, systems makers can more economically design a system that delivers error-free, highly accurate performance.
    The device requires only a 2.5 volt drive (referenced at 1 gigahertz) and has a guaranteed minimum bandwidth of 30 gigahertz. Called the 2625C, the device converts steady, or continuous wave (CW), laser output into high-speed light pulses that transmit voice, data and video signals over fiber optic cables. Modulators are placed externally to the CW laser source in an optical networking system.