Mar 08, 2002 Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) announced today that it is expanding its optical networking business to include photonics design and manufacturing, which adds to the company's optoelectronic component and highly integrated optical module capabilities. The announcement is part of Intel's long-term strategy to grow its communications business and be a leading building block supplier for high speed, high capacity optical networks.
Intel is providing photonic design and manufacturing services for optical component and system manufacturers focused on the metropolitan and long haul market segments. In addition to offering application-specific design libraries for components such as custom array waveguides and other basic photonic building blocks, Intel is offering customer-specified solutions at varying levels of integration, from wafers and die to subassemblies and finished photonic modules.
"Intel's entry into photonics is an outgrowth of many years of internal research and development and a core expertise in silicon manufacturing," said Rama Shukla, general manager of Intel Photonics.
To support its photonics business, Intel recently completed a 70,000-ft. design, fabrication, and assembly/test facility in San Jose, CA, built specifically for photonic component manufacturing using 8 in. silicon wafers. Intel also recently acquired Templex Technology, Inc., which provides photonics expertise and a component technology known as Bragg-Grating, a highly precise filtering and mixing technology used in the manufacturing of photonic components.
