Kotura Inks Fab Agreement; Announces Relationships with Mindspeed and BinOptics
OFC/NFOEC 2013, Booth #3618, Anaheim, Calif., March 19, 2013 – Today at OFC/NFOEC, silicon photonics innovator Kotura, Inc. announced an agreement with a large semiconductor foundry as well as relationships with strategic partners: semiconductor solutions provider Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSPD) and laser supplier BinOptics Corporation. These partnerships will provide Kotura with an effective supply chain to commercialize Kotura’s 100G Optical Engine – a key component in the just-announced industry-first 100 gigabits per second (Gb/s) 4×25 WDM, QSFP+ module.
The addition of a large Japanese foundry is an ideal complement to Kotura’s existing in-house fab. Kotura will leverage the capabilities of the outside foundry partner for high-volume production of its Optical Engine – a low-power, integrated, 100 Gb/s chip solution that supports the interconnect fabric for next generation data centers and high performance computing. Kotura is the only silicon photonics provider to offer both Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) and a parallel version of its Optical Engine in a 3.5 watts QSFP package.
“Our silicon photonics solutions resolve price, performance and reliability issues not currently being addressed by existing approaches,” said Jean-Louis Malinge, Kotura president and CEO. “In a world full of applications with pressing bandwidth and performance needs, there is tremendous opportunity for silicon photonics to heed the call, starting with the data center market as our primary target. This foundry partnership offers Kotura the fastest and most reliable path to mass production and the ability to scale to meet this demand.”
The partnership with Mindspeed enables Kotura to meet the low-power requirements of the QSFP package. “The market wants a QSFP package because of the small footprint,” said Marek Tlalka, director product marketing at Mindspeed. “Integrating 25G quad drivers and TIAs can be quite a challenge. By combining our high-speed, low-power electronics and Kotura’s silicon photonics Optical Engine, we can meet the stringent power consumption constraints of a 100 Gb/s WDM QSFP module.”
Kotura partnered with BinOptics to develop laser arrays, which can be passively flip-chip bonded onto Kotura’s Optical Engine, producing a high-volume, low-cost, electronics-style assembly.
“BinOptics’ Etched Facet Technology allows III-V photonic device facets to be formed with lithographic precision, enabling low-cost passive alignment with silicon photonics,” said Dr. Alex Behfar, CEO and co-founder, BinOptics Corporation. “Eliminating active alignment is one of the key ingredients for economical, large-scale rollout of silicon photonics based 100 Gb/s solutions.”
At OFC, the chips for the Optical Engine will be on display at Kotura’s booth #3618, while a demo of the Optical Engine will be shown privately. For more about Kotura, please visit www.kotura.com.
About Mindspeed Technologies
Mindspeed Technologies (NASDAQ: MSPD) is a leading provider of network infrastructure semiconductor solutions to the communications industry. The company’s low-power system-on-chip (SoC) products are helping to drive video, voice and data applications in worldwide fiber-optic networks and enable advanced processing for 3G and long-term evolution (LTE) mobile networks. The company’s high-performance analog products are used in a variety of optical, enterprise, industrial and video transport systems. Mindspeed’s products are sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) around the globe. To learn more, please visit www.mindspeed.com. Company news and updates are also posted at www.twitter.com/mindspeed.
About BinOptics
BinOptics Corporation is a trusted ISO-certified volume supplier of semiconductor lasers for the Telecom and Datacom industries, with around 40 million lasers shipped. BinOptics uses its proprietary Etched Facet Technology to manufacture highly reliable, high-volume, and low-cost lasers. BinOptics’ current products include a wide range of FP and DFB lasers as well as lasers with narrow far-fields that offer exceptional fiber coupling. With modulation speeds exceeding 10-Gbps, the company’s products provide transceiver and other photonic equipment manufacturers with unprecedented price-performance advantages. BinOptics also offers custom integrated components for optical systems and subsystems. These solutions deliver excellent value through cost, size, and power reductions by replacing several discrete components with a single monolithic chip. For more information about BinOptics and its products, please visit www.binoptics.com.
About Kotura, Inc.
Kotura, Inc. is an established innovator in silicon photonics. Founded in 2004, Kotura’s singular focus is on the application of silicon photonics to solve unique communications problems through a technology platform that adheres to four key attributes: small footprint, power efficiency, high performance and affordability. Kotura has earned a track record of reliability and credibility through business processes that center on operational excellence. The company’s low-power, 100 gigabits per second (Gb/s) Optical Engine is designed to support the interconnect fabric for next generation data centers and high performance computers. An ISO 9001:2008 certified company, Kotura is headquartered in Monterey Park, Calif. with an office in Shenzhen, China. For more information, please visit www.kotura.com, or follow the company on Facebook.
