The first products fabricated in the new process are due out later this year. GiGA North America Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif., has also entered the OC-192 fray. But the 40-G market seems to be on a faster pace. Based on what we're already seeing in terms of customer interest, it'll probably take only three years before it hits significant volume. Time will tell what IC-process technology will offer the best solution at those speeds.
Suppliers remain process-neutral as the first products emerge from research labs.
Vitesse, which at one time manufactured GaAs IC exclusively, has diversified in the past three years to the point where it can now manufacture ICs using CMOS, SiGe, or other technologies. Key to that decision was the technology's higher cutoff frequency and lower threshold voltage for turning on transistors compared with alternative technologies. Also enticing were the integration advantages of using a single process for all parts up to the packet-processing stage. Others, such as Lucent and Infineon are looking to technologies such as SiGe or some specialized derivative or compound processes for next-generation solutions. CEM Directory Top Comp Supp DIST Directory Salary Survey Salary Calc.