SUNNYVALE, Calif.— May 27, 2003 — The Semiconductor Division of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc., today introduced the "ML9xx40 Series" of Distributed Feedback laser diodes (DFB-LD) for optical fiber communication. The ML9xx40 Series, which enables 2.5 Gbps-100km transmission in a zero to 85-degree C temperature range, is expected to be the top choice for optical fiber communication equipment due to its low cost, miniature size and low power consumption, a result achieved by eliminating temperature control. Unprecedented LD mass production is scheduled for late summer.

"Optical fiber communication traffic in metropolitan area networks is increasing with the growth of ADSL¹ and FTTH²," says Daniel Chen, vice president and general manager for the Semiconductor Division at Mitsubishi Electric US. "Since the transmission equipment used in these networks is increasingly shrinking in size and cost, our semiconductor laser diode, which operates without a cooler and performs well in high temperatures, will be in high demand. And with increasing traffic, higher bit rates (higher than 622Mbps or 1.25Gbps) will be required."

The ML9xx40 Series provides stable, single wavelength operation under 2.5Gbps modulation over a wide temperature range because a quarter-wavelength phase-shifted grating is used in this DFB-LD. A transmission of up to 100km is possible at 1.55mm laser operation wavelength, where the optical power absorption in the optical fiber is minimum.

"Although operation up to 85 degrees C was difficult in a quarter-wavelength phase-shifted DFB-LD operated at 1.55mm wavelength, we succeeded by optimizing the device structure," said Chen. "Because this DFB-LD has abundant characteristics under higher temperature, it performs well even in small transceiver equipment such as SFF³ and SFP⁴. Finally, low cost was achieved by utilizing standard TO-CAN packaging."

¹ Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
² Fiber To The Home
³ Small Form Factor
⁴ Small Form Factor Pluggable

Availability

Samples will be available in June 2003, with mass production scheduled to begin August 2003 with estimated monthly volume of 10,000 units.

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About Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation offers a diverse range of optoelectronic products for SDH, SONET, 10-GbE, CWDM, DWDM, data communication, and OTDR applications, as well as passive optical network systems, test and instrumentation applications, and CATV distribution. The company’s optoelectronic product families conform to leading-edge current and future multi-source agreements such as XENPAK, X2, XPAK, and XFP. Mitsubishi Electric markets its optoelectronic products in North America through the Semiconductor Division of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and its North American affiliate, Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc., are world-class suppliers of semiconductors and electronic products for communications, industrial, Internet-enabled, and automotive applications. The company is ranked among the top-tier worldwide semiconductor suppliers and offers an extensive range of semiconductor components for the North American marketplace, including optoelectronic and microwave/RF devices.

Additional information on the Mitsubishi Electric Semiconductor Division is available at http://www.mitsubishichips.com.

Trademark Information
Mitsubishi and the Mitsubishi logo are registered trademarks of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in the U.S.A., Japan, and other countries.

Keywords
ADSL, FTTH, DFB-LD, Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, Fiber-to-the-Home, Distributed Feedback Laser Diodes

Editorial Contacts:

Julie Callaghan
Semiconductor Division
Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc.
Sunnyvale, CA
Phone: (408) 774-3136
Julie.Callaghan@meus.mea.com

Mark S. Scott
Public Relations Manager
Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc.
5665 Plaza Drive
Cypress, CA 90630
Phone: 714.220.6896
Fax: 714.229.3854
mark.scott@meus.mea.com