CIELO DEMONSTRATES 1.3 MICRON VCSEL-BASED OC-48 OPTICAL TRANSMITTER, ENABLING POWER EFFICIENT, LOW-COST AND HIGH-DENSITY SONET SOLUTIONS

Full transceiver link using 1.3 micron VCSEL delivers error-free data over 20km of single mode fiber, reliably delivering high bandwidth for the telecommunications infrastructure

Broomfield, CO. Cielo Communications, an industry leader in Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology and integrated optical subsystems, today demonstrated the feasibility of developing low-cost, power-efficient and high-density SONET-compliant optical systems, by becoming the first company to successfully construct a full transceiver link using a 1.3 micron VCSEL and transmit error-free data over 20 km of single mode fiber. The SONET-compliant OC-48 Short-Reach (SR) optical transmitter was built with a 1.3 micron VCSEL, commercially available integrated circuits and proprietary optical packaging.

The 1.3 micron VCSEL, developed cooperatively by Cielo and Sandia National Laboratories, is the ideal source laser for use in telecommunication optical transmitters. It has been long sought after for this application because of its many advantages over edge-emitting lasers used today. The advantages include faster modulation speeds, easier testing capability, smaller size, lower power consumption and lower device cost. In addition, the 1.3 micron VCSEL delivers cost savings throughout the optical subsystem by leveraging the superior optical emission pattern of the laser and ability to fabricate laser arrays, which simplify manufacturing and packaging processes.

"Based on the VCSEL s inherent technical advantages, the 1.3 micron VCSEL will obsolete the majority of 1.3 micron edge-emitting lasers used in telecommunications today. Our achievement is a major milestone in demonstrating the capability of the 1.3 micron VCSEL to deliver the performance required in SONET applications," said Bob Mayer, Cielo s vice president of marketing. "The optical power, wavelength and spectral purity have been the major hurdles for 1.3 micron VCSEL technology; we are excited about our optical transmitter, since it exceeds these OC-48 SR requirements with considerable margin."

The demonstrated transceiver link consisted of a transmitter, 20 km of single mode fiber and a receiver. The transmitter included a laser driver and a packaged 1.3 micron VCSEL, while the receiver was comprised of a PIN photodiode, a transimpedance amplifier and a post amplifier. The OC-48 optical link was constructed by Cielo engineers and tested for compliance with the SONET standard at their Colorado facility. The bit error rate (BER) for the link was better than 1E-12.

In June, Cielo and Sandia National Laboratories jointly announced a 1.3 micron VCSEL, fabricated on Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) substrates. The device is monolithic, electrically pumped and supports continuous-wave operation. Since then, Cielo engineers rapidly transferred the technology developed at Sandia to the company s Colorado fabrication facility and began improvements and modifications. The collaboration continues between both companies to advance the 1.3 micron VCSEL technology.

"We are building upon the 1.3 micron VCSEL technology announced earlier this year by the Cielo-Sandia team," said Dave Kisker, Cielo s vice president of VCSEL technology development. "By using the GaAs-based approach, we expect to achieve high performance, good yield and excellent reliability, which will enable the rapid deployment of this new technology."

About Sandia National Laboratories Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major research and development responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.

About Cielo Communications Cielo Communications is an industry leader in the research, development, manufacturing and deployment of VCSEL technology and optical packaging. The company s commitment to the advancement of VCSEL technology enables the broader adoption of cost-effective, multi-gigabit-per-second fiber optic interconnect solutions in telecommunications optical networking equipment. Cielo Communications is a privately held company backed by several major investor groups including Mayfield Fund, Menlo Ventures, Herb Alpert, HarbourVest, JAFCO, Triumph Capital, J.&W. Seligman, and Kingdon Capital. Cielo Communications is headquartered at 325 Interlocken Parkway, Building A, Broomfield, CO 80021.

Company Contact: Cory Rigler (303) 460-0700 crigler@cieloinc.com

Agency Contact: Angela Edgerton (858) 792-2941 angela@ardellgroup.com