Bookham Launches SFF Transponder With Electronic Dispersion Compensation

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 25  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bookham, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKHM), a provider of optical components and modules to the telecom industry, has announced the launch of a 300 Pin Small Form Factor (SFF) transponder with Electronic Dispersion Compensation (EDC).  The new product - TL9000M - will enable increased deployment flexibility and simplification of network design rules, delivering significant cost savings for network equipment manufacturers.

The 10Gb/s TL9000M combines the size and performance benefits of the existing Bookham SFF 300 Pin transponder with MLSD-based (maximum likelihood sequence detection) EDC to provide significant tolerance to chromatic dispersion (CD), polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and nonlinearities inherent in telecom networks.  This will enable product deployment over a greater proportion of installed fiber routes, including those that will not currently support required spans of 80km at 10Gb/s without equalisation.  The transponder will also eliminate the need for expensive pre-characterising of fiber paths for poor PMD performance.

"The inclusion of MLSD-based EDC into our small form factor transponder is a significant advancement that will allow network engineers to use this technology for all deployments," said Chris Clarke, VP Strategy and Chief Engineer Telecom Division at Bookham.  "Our indium phosphide building blocks within the transponder allow the real estate to incorporate electronics that give our products a significant advantage in terms of performance. Combining this with the cost, size, and unrivalled power dissipation elements, Bookham will bring this technology from a niche application to potential industry-wide deployment."

The transponder incorporates the ClariPhy CL1012 clock and data recovery (CDR) integrated circuit (IC) with EDC.  The IC utilizes MLSD technology in a low-cost, low-power CMOS process.  The transponder is smaller than competing EDC-enabled offerings and offers lower power dissipation.

The existing Bookham TL9000, first launched in 2007, is significantly smaller than competing large form factor tunable 300pin transponders; the new transponder will retain this small form factor transponder footprint, enabled through the combination of the unique Bookham indium phosphide (InP) modulator technology and the ClariPhy low power dissipation single-chip EDC solution.  The addition of this powerful transponder solution expands the Bookham portfolio of tunable devices, and maintains the company's leadership position in terms of performance and cost for SFF 300pin transponder development.

About Bookham

Bookham, Inc. is a leading provider of high performance optical products, spanning from components to advanced subsystems. The company designs and manufactures a broad range of solutions tailored for the telecommunications optical infrastructure and selected markets, including industrial, life sciences, semiconductor, and scientific. The Company utilizes proprietary core technologies and a vertically integrated manufacturing organization to provide its customers with cost-effective and innovative devices, as well as flexible, scalable product delivery. Bookham is a global company, headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with leading edge chip fabrication facilities in the UK and Switzerland, and manufacturing sites in the US and China.

Bookham and all other Bookham, Inc. product names and slogans are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bookham, Inc. in the USA or other countries.  All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. 

DATASOURCE: Bookham, Inc.



CONTACT:  Julie Molloy of Bookham, Inc., [phone],

; or Howard Jones of Rooftop PR, [phone],





Web Site:  http://www.bookham.com/ 

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