Silicon Line's World-Record: 2.5 Gb/s Optical Link Consuming Less Than 10 mW

Silicon Line GmbH introduces an ultra-low power
physical layer chipset for optical data transmission
MUNICH, Germany--(Business Wire)--Silicon Line GmbH, a German fabless analog IC company, today
announced the release of a 2.5 Gigabit per second (Gbps) chipset
comprising a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with integrated limiting
amplifier and a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) driver.
The complete chipset exhibits a total power dissipation of below 10
mW, only. This power number includes all necessary currents through
the laser as well as the power dissipated by the resistive output load
connected to the TIA. The own power need of the VCSEL driver (SL82026)
itself is far below 1 mW and that of the transimpedance amplifier
(SL82016) far below 5 mW.

"Optical data transmission based on polymer optical fibers or
waveguides becomes more and more prevalent." said Holger Hoeltke,
Managing Director at Silicon Line. "Especially in mobile or portable
electronics, where massive EMI-constrains, bandwidth requirements and
mechanical issues challenge the traditional physical layer design,
ultra-low power optical data transmission comes in as perfect
alternative. With its PHY-layer chipset Silicon Line provides an
enabling technology into these markets."

The chipset SL82016 / SL82026 features sub-LVDS I/Os, which
provide a differential output voltage of 200 mV. Upon request, Silicon
Line provides to its VCSEL-driver a temperature controller, which
automatically maintains over a wide temperature range a given
extinction ratio for the VCSEL. Silicon Line's TIA, the SL82016, works
together with either a GaAs photodiode or a Si photodiode. With a
minimum input current of 20 uApp, the SL82016 allows for an optical
input sensitivity of -16dBm at a BER of 10-12 at 2.5 Gbps.

"Due to their excellent power efficiency, both chips may also be
used for parallel optical links." said Martin Groepl, Silicon Line's
Technical Director. "With only a few adaptations we may provide them
as one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays. With that they're
suitable for high-speed board-to-board, backplane or chip-to-chip
connections."

The SL82016 as well as the SL82026 exhibit a chip area of less
than 0.5 mm(2). Both ICs are available in bare die form. Sampling of
the ICs starts now.

About Silicon Line GmbH

Silicon Line is a Germany based fabless analog IC company,
specialized in providing innovative, ultra-low power IC solutions in
standard CMOS-technology.

Silicon Line is located at Elsenheimerstrasse 50, D-80687 Munich,
Germany.

Additional information is available at www.silicon-line.com.

Silicon Line GmbH
Holger Hoeltke, +49 89 23230845
press@silicon-line.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008