PMC-SIERRA ANNOUNCES OC-192 SONET/SDH CHIP SET
PMC-Sierra introduced its OC-192/STM-64 optical silicon architecture for consolidating SONET/SDH equipment with IP routers and multi-service switches into a single shelf platform serving metro area networks.  Four key components of PMC-Sierra’s CHESS-II (Channelizer Engine for SONET/SDH) chip set include an STS-1 channelized framer and pointer processor, a groomer/serializer chip, a 160 Gbps STS-1 cross-connect chip, and a 4 x OC-48 clock and data recovery chip.   The solution could be used in next generation SONET/SDH metro equipment, such as multi service provisioning platforms (MSPPs) and sub-wavelength optical cross-connects capable of aggregating services such as Gigabit Ethernet, Internet Protocol, Fiber Channel and ATM.   The CHESS-II chip set is designed to groom STS-1 pipes in such a way that multiple services can be transported over individual OC-192/STM-64 wavelengths or multiple OC-48/STM-16 wavelengths.  The product's density and power characteristics enable platform scalability to more than 640 Gbps in a single shelf.  Sampling is expected in Q3.   http://www.pmc-sierra.com
PMC-Sierra, March 19, 2001

• PMC-Sierra's CHESS-I chip set (introduced last April) integrates IP routing, ATM/Frame Relay switching, SONET/SDH digital cross connect/add-drop multiplexing and DWDM transport at OC-48 line rates.  http://www.pmc-sierra.com/chess

SPECTRASWITCH INTRODUCES OPTICAL SWITCH DRIVEN BY LCDS
SpectraSwitch, a start-up based in Santa Rosa, California, introduced a 1x2 liquid crystal based optical switch suitable for provisioning, protection, and monitoring applications in fiber networks.  SpectraSwitch has successfully cycled the optical switch more than 100 million times and expects to set a new benchmark by defining the switch's expected lifetime at 1 billion cycles.  The solid-state, non-stick switch operates transparently to network protocols and bit rates.  The company said liquid-crystal technology provides competitive advantages in terms of reliability, low insertion loss, low polarization dependent loss (PDL), low cross talk over temperature and wavelength, and faster switching speeds than other technologies.  LCDs also leverage 30 years of manufacturing science.  http://www.spectraswitch.com/
SpectraSwitch, March 19, 2001

• In December, SpectraSwitch named Lindsay Austin as its president and CEO.  Austin previously was vice-president and general manager of JDS Uniphase's Commercial Lasers Division. 
  
• Last May, SpectraSwitch raised $18.1 million in second round financing from Advanced Technology Ventures, E-TEK Dynamics, CDIB and NIF Ventures.

OPTIMIGHT DEBUTS OPTICAL PLATFORM FOR LONG HAUL AND ULTRA-LONG NETS
OptiMight Communications, a start-up based in Mountain View, California, introduced a Raman-less core optical transport product for long reach transmission without expensive electronic regeneration.  The platform would enable carriers to send up to 1.6 terabits/second over any type of fiber without using regenerators or Raman amplifiers. OptiMight's flagship OMC 1600 platform is designed for 400 to 4,000 km fiber spans.  The company estimates that 80% of carriers' network connections are shorter than 1800 km, a distance at which traditional WDM and Raman-based solutions are often too costly to implement.  Its platform transmits bi-directionally (uses one fiber instead of a fiber pair), and offers the ability to work over any fiber, including ones significantly affected by polarization mode dispersion (PMD).  OptiMight's platform could be deployed in both existing and next-generation (dynamic) architectures.   http://www.optimight.com
OptiMight Communications, March 18, 2001

• OptiMight’s full-spectrum WDM manipulates optical signals in time and frequency, compared to existing optical transmission platforms that manipulate signals only in the time domain.  Manipulating the signal in both domains spectrally enriches the pulses, yielding a more robust optical signal that travels further over fiber.  
  

• OptiMight was founded by Mr. Wu-Fu Chen and Dr. Ilya Fishman, who previously served as Research Scientist at Stanford University and as Engineering Manager at Spectra-Physics. The company received initial funding in February of 1999 and an additional $32 million in May 2000.

NOVA CRYSTALS DEMONSTRATES 1310 NM SURFACE EMITTING LASER AT 10 GBPS
Nova Crystals, a start-up based in San Jose, California, demonstrated an electrically pumped, 1310 nm vertical cavity surface emitting laser diode (VCSEL) operating at 10 Gbps.  Preliminary devices fabricated at Nova Crystals deliver 7 mW of power, exhibiting single spatial mode and a single polarization state output.  The laser potentially could be used for metro, access and LAN applications.  The company has previously demonstrated a similar VCSEL operating at 2.5 Gbps.  http://www.novacrystals.com
Nova Crystals, March 19, 2001

• Last October, Nova Crystals raised $31.25 million in third round venture funding.  Investors include Ridgewood Capital, Hermes Epitek Corp., Walden International, Intel Capital, Infineon Technologies Ventures, the Fortune Consulting Group, JF Shea Co., Barington Capital Group and C.E. Unterberg Towbin.
  
• Nova Crystals was founded in September 1998 by former Cornell University researchers Dr. Yu-Hwa Lo and Dr. Felix Ejeckam.  In October 1999, Nova Crystals, in cooperation with Cornell and Sandia National Labs, demonstrated a means to create GaAs vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) on a silicon substrate.  The process technology is expected to significantly improve manufacturing techniques for optical components.

KESTREL PUBLISHES WAVEFORM SPEC FOR OPTICAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLEXING
Kestrel Solutions, a start-up developing metro optical equipment designed to efficiently combine multiple low-speed optical tributaries onto a single wavelength, published its waveform specification for Optical Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM).  The specification describes the physical layer properties of the high-speed optical signal that Kestrel uses in its patent-pending transmission equipment.  The company plans to select qualified independent manufacturers to develop Optical FDM equipment that interoperates with its own equipment.  http://www.kestrelsolutions.com 
Kestrel Solutions, March 19, 2001

• Kestrel's TalonMX platform combines frequency division multiplexing, digital signal processors (DSPs) and optical modulation to serve as a bandwidth enhancer for metropolitan networks.  The single-fiber, single-wavelength optical transport system delivers up to 10 Gbps with less than 20 GHz bandwidth space.  Deployment options include point-to-point, linear add/drop, and ring architectures.   Key advantages of the platform over conventional DWDM include the ability to operate over any quality of fiber, including older fiber common in many RBOC infrastructures.  Kestrel is based in Mountain View, California.

VITESSE DELIVERS HIGH-END SONET/SDH CHIPSET
Vitesse Semiconductor introduced a 16:1 SONET/SDH multiplexer chipset designed to support high-gain Forward Error Correction (FEC) operations on ultra-long haul and long haul DWDM applications. The 12.5 Gbps chipset integrates clock recovery and multiplication functions required for regeneration of RZ (return-to-zero) data modulation.  http://www.vitesse.com
Vitesse Semiconductor, March 19, 2001

E2O ANNOUNCES 30 GBPS PARALLEL OPTICAL LINKS FOR VSR CONNECTIONS
E2O Communications introduced a 12-channel, 2.5 Gbps VCSEL-based, parallel transmitter/receiver link pair with 30 Gbps aggregate-throughput supporting the Optical Internetworking Forum's (OIF's) new Very Short Reach Standard specification.  The module could be used for fiber optic backplanes, digital cross connects and custom applications.  The transmitter units currently employ E2O’s 850 nm VCSELs (vertical cavity surface-emitting laser).  Samples are expected in Q2.  E2O will incorporate its newly developed long-wavelength (1310 nm) VCSEL technology in the near future to support longer link distances and higher throughput. E2O is based in Calabasas, California.  http://www.e2oinc.com/
E2O Communications, March 19, 2001

BLUE SKY RESEARCH UNVEILS OPTICAL CROSSCONNECT SWITCHES
Blue Sky Research, a start-up based in San Jose, California, announced the preliminary release of an Optical Cross Connect Switch (OXC) based on a micro mirror using an actuator design.  The electro-mechanical actuators are fundamentally different than MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems).  The company has developed a modular design that it expects to scale over time.  Blue Sky Research 1xN OXCs will be offered with N = 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64, with the 1x4 and 1x16 available in late 2001. NxN OXCs will be offered with N = 16, 32, and 64, and are scheduled for release beginning in late 2001.  http://www.blueskyresearch.com 
Blue Sky Research, March 19, 2001