Infineon Unveils Industry's Lowest Power OC-192/STM-64 SONET/SDH 10 Gb/s Chipset in Silicon Germanium Technology

SAN JOSE, Calif. Infineon Technologies North America Corp. (NYSE:IFX), a leading supplier of high-speed communications and fiber optics IC solutions, today announced one of the industry s lowest power OC-192/STM-64 SONET/SDH chipset solution for high-speed optical communication systems.

With skyrocketing Internet traffic driving bandwidth demand, the 10 Gb/s fiber optic IC market has become one of the fastest growing segments in the semiconductor industry. Infineon s new chipset enables communications equipment makers to offer highly integrated, high performance and low power modules and systems at competitive costs -- just as the market prepares for volume growth.

All devices are designed and processed in Infineon s leading edge Silicon Germanium (SiGe) Process Technology (B7HF), featuring a transit frequency of >75 GHz. The SiGe process B7HF is based on Infineon s B6HF bipolar process, which is widely used in today s high volume cellular phone market and other consumer applications.

The chipset includes a Laser Diode Driver, Multiplexer and Demultiplexer, a serial CDR device and a Transimpedance Amplifier, which all together use half the power of competitors devices on the market today. All devices operate at a data rate of 9.95 Gb/s up to 10.7 Gb/s, making them suitable for applications with Forward Error Correction (FEC). This allows manufacturers to use a single chipset solution for a variety of applications and requirements.

"By replacing today s Gallium Arsenide ICs and first generation bipolar technology with our silicon germanium chipset solution, telecom and datacom OEMs can build high performance fiber optic systems at a highly competitive cost structure," said Marc Gebert, vice president & general manager of Infineon s high speed communication ICs business unit.

Components in the new OC-192/STM-64 SONET/SDH chipset can be purchased individually as well as in a total solution. Components include:

FOA21002A1 - 10 Gb/s Laser Diode Driver (LDD)

The LDD device is designed to drive 50-Ohm matched electro-absorption modulators or laser diodes for single or differential transmission lines, offering high integration. The LDD operates from a single -5V supply with a consumption of only 1.7 Watts. The part is priced at US $300 in quantities of 5,000 and is now available as bare die samples.

FOA41001B1 10Gb/s 16:1 multiplexer with Clock Multiplication Unit (MUX+CMU) & FOA51001B1 10 Gb/s 1:16 demultiplexer with Clock and Data Recovery (DeMux+CDR)

The transceiver chipset (MUX + DeMUX) is compliant with the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF)-Physical Layer Group s OIF99.102 recommendation. Both devices offer differential LVDS interfaces at 622 Mb/s without external components.

The multiplexer integrates a low noise LC VCO, meets Bellcore s OC-192 jitter requirements and incorporates pseudo 8-bit FIFO (First in, First out). The companion FOA51001B1 10Gb/s 1:16 demultiplexer encompasses a complete CDR with high input data sensitivity to enhance system margin. A transimpedance amplifier can be connected directly to the FOA51001B1, eliminating the need for a limiting amplifier in a line card design. Each device runs on a single 3.3V or 5V power supply, with consumption of approximately 1W - the lowest available today - and incorporates an integrated low phase noise Phase Locked Loop (PLL) requiring no external filter components.

FOA31002A1 10 Gb/s 1:1 serial Clock & Data Recovery (CDR)

This serial clock and data recovery IC can be used for regenerating and re-timing of data, automatic adjustment of re-timing clock phase and adjustment of input signal threshold. It offers the industry s lowest power consumption on the market today at only 1 to 1.5 Watts and meets Bellcore and ITU Jitter specification requirements. The device is priced at US $500 in quantities of 5,000 and is available as bare die samples now.

FOA11002A1 10 Gb/s Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA)

The TIA operates up to data rates of 10.7 Gb/s with a single power supply of +5 V and can be connected both to APD or PIN photo diodes. Due to its high transimpedance, a post amplifier can be eliminated in most receiver applications. Its high dynamic range of 19 dB allows a variety of system configurations. The FOA11002A1 10 Gb/s TIA boasts the industry s lowest power consumption--only 170 mWatts--and is priced at US $300 in quantities of 5,000. It is available as bare die samples now.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor solutions for applications in the wireless and wired communications markets, for the automotive and industrial sectors, for security systems and chip cards as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, and in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore. In the fiscal year 1999 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 4.24 billion (US $ 4.51 billion) with about 26,000 employees worldwide. The company is listed on the main market segment (Amtlicher Handel) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and at the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol:IFX). Further information available at www.infineon.com/Fast!Logic.

Any statements in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ from the forward-looking statements. Infineon Technologies undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

CONTACT: Infineon Technologies
Worldwide Headquarters
Manfred Weis, Phone/Fax: ++49 89 234 22767/28482
manfred.weis@infineon.com

U.S.A.
Chris Goodhart, Phone/Fax: ++1 408 501 6389/2424
chris.goodhart@infineon.com

Asia
Chien Fa Khoo, Phone/Fax: ++65 8400 820/7433 875
chien-fa.khoo@infineon.com