NETWORKS

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Transparent Networks, Inc., developer of intelligent photonic switching systems, announced today a major advance in photonic switching with the successful integration of LambdaMirrorTM, the world's first 3D MOEMS mirror array integrated with the high-voltage high-density VLSI electronics. The single chip array includes 1200 mirrors. The LambdaMirror technology is scalable to over 18,000 port optical switches. The integrated mirror array is a critical component of the pay-as-you-grow system configuration developed by Transparent Networks, Inc. and which allows field scalability of the optical switch from 8 to 1,024 bi-directional protected ports in the first product implementation. This enables carriers to deploy the switch with a small number of active ports at a price that is competitive with small port count switches. Later, it allows them to cost-effectively add more ports per demand, with neither fork-lift upgrade nor fabric replacement required. Integration of the mirror with drive electronics significantly increases system reliability by utilizing all-digital interface with inherent high noise immunity and by eliminating high voltage lines on mirror chip, replacing them with electrostatic coupling. Additionally, the integration dramatically simplifies packaging by reducing the number of high voltage connections to external amplifiers, resulting in the significant reduction in size, weight and cost of the optical switching fabric. Dr. Janusz Bryzek, Transparent's President and CEO, stated: "We chose bulk micromachining technology for our integrated mirror to provide an optically flat surface enabling superior optical performance and high optical power handling capability, neither achievable with surface micromachining. This future-proofs the optical switch and allows it to support next generation DWDM systems with high wavelength counts (>200) per fiber." Dr. Bryzek continued: "Our mirror array is driven by integrated electronics, which is believed to be the world's largest mixed signal IC. This single-chip design includes 4800 high-speed 15-bit D/A converters with high-voltage (120V) output. Integrated high-speed serial interface enabled a direct low-voltage communication with a commercial DSP based controller. The proprietary circuit configuration lowered the power consumption to below 1 mW/mm2, eliminating mirror self-heating." David Krozier, RHK's Senior Optical Networking Analyst, commented: "Transparent Networks has advanced technology for optical switching a generation ahead by integrating micromirrors and electronics on the same die". Steven Nasiri, the inventor of the mirror mechanical configuration and VP Packaging and Operations, said: "Unlike other approaches, LambaMirror's novel technology solved fundamental cost, size and reliability problems. We reduced mirror drive voltage five fold in comparison to other solutions, enabling integration of drive electronics in one of the commercial CMOS processes. We also implemented mechanical design in low-cost bulk MEMS process using only 8 masks, yielding a simple and low cost device". LambdaMirror is a major step in bringing low-cost scalable photonic switches to the real telecom applications. Mirror fabrication process employs the vertical wafer integration. A standard VLSI wafer with 1.2 µm CMOS and 120 V output is used as a handle wafer. Multilayer metalization is fabricated on a top of the VLSI wafer to form individual electrodes to electrostatically drive mirrors, with four electrodes per mirror. Thanks to a short distance (couple µm) between the VLSI transistors and electrodes, the parasitic capacitance is very small and the IC can operate at extremely low power levels. Consecutively, a two-wafer-layer MOEMS mirror structure is fabricated above the electrodes, yielding industry best fill factor with mirror diameter representing about 90% of the mirror pitch, enabling a reduction of the optical path size and improvement of performance. The company was funded in 2000 by top tier VC firms, USVP and Benchmark.