Genoa Ramps Up Production of Linear Optical Amplifier (LOA) Using InP VCSEL Technology on Aixtron Planetary Reactor®
Aachen, Germany. AIXTRON today announced that Genoa Corporation, a next-generation optical semiconductor company based in Fremont, California, has selected and installed two AIX 2000 Planetary Reactors® for use in the production of its recently launched "linear optical amplifier" (LOA). The linear optical amplifier is the first chip-based amplifier capable of simultaneously amplifying multiple wavelengths of light in today s fiber optic communications networks. Aixtron s AIX 2000 Planetary Reactor® is used to precisely grow the more than 100 epitaxial layers that the breakthrough device requires during its fabrication.
Rick Gold, president and CEO of Genoa said, "A key to success in launching a sophisticated semiconductor-based optical networking component is the ability to produce consistently high quality devices. AIXTRON s technology is exactly what we need at such an important time in our company s history."
Genoa s LOA solves for the first time a number of problems that have precluded the use of semiconductors for amplifying light in optical networks. A critical part of the solution is the incorporation of a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser, or VCSEL, right in the heart of the Indium Phosphide (InP) semiconductor chip. The AIXTRON Planetary Reactor® utilizes leading-edge, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) techniques to achieve epitaxial growth in semiconductor materials. According to Gold, it is ideal for the creation of VCSEL-based devices and structures because of its inherent uniformity and reproducibility.
"It is exciting to be working with Genoa at the birth of a new, disruptive technology," said Dr. Holger Juergensen, President of AIXTRON, "particularly one that can take advantage of our unique MOCVD reactor expertise. We hope that now that a practical optical amplifier has finally been realized in a semiconductor, the use of such amplifiers will explode in a manner reminiscent of the transistor a half century ago."
AIXTRON offers a wide range of epitaxial systems for MOCVD, VPE and LPE from R&D-oriented systems up to large-scale Planetary Reactor® production systems for up to 25x4" or 9x6" wafers. AIXTRON has sold over 500 systems worldwide and is represented in over 15 countries. The company provides an extensive service and support network for maintenance as well as upgrading of its systems. AIXTRON is a supplier to leading industrial clients like Agere, Alcatel, Anritsu, ATMI, Avalon, AXT, Epistar, EPSON, Honeywell, IQE, ITT, JDS-Uniphase, Kopin, LumiLeds, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nortel, Optospeed, Osram, Procomp, Samsung, Siemens, Showa Denko, Sumitomo, Thales, UEC, VPEC and numerous Japanese corporations. AIXTRON systems have also been installed in many of the world s most renowned research institutes including JPL, Sandia Nat. Lab., Fraunhofer Institute, ITRI-OES, CNRS. AIXTRON is very active in advancing MOCVD technology through collaborations and joint R&D projects with major partners worldwide.
Contact: Deirdre Berg Aixtron AG Tel: +49 (241) 8909-473 Fax: +49(241)8909-149 E-Mail: brg@aixtron.com
Deirdre BergAixtron AG
Tel: +49 (241) 8909-473
Fax: +49(241)8909-149
E-Mail: brg@aixtron.com
E-mail: brg@aixtron.com
