Monrovia, CA -- Xponent announces the first in a series of Surface Mount Photonics (SMP) products, a 10 G PIN photodiode in a novel FROA (Fiber-Ready Optical Assembly) form-factor. In addition to offering industry-leading performance, Xponent’s PIN PD device minimizes design and assembly costs and is available at the low per-unit cost of $10 in volume.

The 10 G PIN FROA leverages Xponent’s Surface Mount Photonics innovations to enable customers to minimize the R&D investment and packaging expense required to deliver high-sensitivity receivers. The FROA reduces packaging cost by incorporating a built-in optical train which is fiber mode matched, and pre-aligned to a V-groove, enabling receiver producers to bypass painstaking optical assembly processes. A plain, flat-cleaved SM fiber in the V-groove is all that is required to complete the passive alignment of the fiber to the photodiode. The 10 G PIN FROA is also compatible with encapsulation and non-hermetic packaging to enable the lowest possible packaging cost. In addition to availability at a fiber-ready level, fiber-fixed versions are planned in receptacled and pigtailed, TO can compatible packages.

The photodiode is based on a highly reliable planar structure and exhibits 1 A/W typical responsivity at 1550 nm. The device is capable of high speed at low bias, ensuring compatibility with low cost 3.3V TIAs in addition to standard 5V TIAs. The Xponent 10 G PIN is ideally suited for XFP and OC192 optical receiver applications with sensitivity requirements of -20 dBm and works in both the 1300 and 1550 nm bands. It fully supports 12.5 Gb/s data rates and also provides a high-quality solution for lower speed applications such as OC48, GbE and Fiber Channel.

“The 10 G PIN FROA not only stands alone as a compelling product; it is also a sign of things to come,” said Teresa Engelhard, Xponent’s Vice President of Marketing. “The SMP chipset used in this product is a building block that will be used in upcoming assemblies and it is indicative of the high bar for price/performance that will be met by subsequent SMP products.”

Pricing and Availability
The Xponent 10 G PIN FROA is priced competitively at $10 in volume. The 10 G PIN FROA is currently available for sampling, with volume availability in December 2003. More information is available at www.xponentinc.com. For sample orders and pricing quotes please contact sales@xponentinc.com.

About Xponent Photonics
Xponent is the innovator of Surface Mount Photonics chipsets, the building blocks for a range of optical assemblies. Surface Mount Photonics dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of optical devices while providing industry-leading specifications for reach, thermal performance, reliability, power consumption and footprint.

Information about Xponent is available on the Web at http://www.xponentinc.com.

Contact Susan Tatum for media related questions at statum@xponentinc.com.

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