TriQuint Expands Industry’s Largest SMT Optical Modulator Driver Portfolio with New 100-200 Gb/s Solutions

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TQNT), a leading RF solutions supplier and technology innovator, today announced four new optical network products that expand the company’s industry-leading portfolio with miniaturized and integrated modules. TriQuint high performance optical components reduce overall system costs, simplify RF design and shrink board space for today’s 100 Gb/s optical fiber networks and future 200/400G systems.

In a market once dominated by connectorized modules four or five times the size of TriQuint’s surface mount technology (SMT) modulator drivers, it’s easy to see why smaller, more economical solutions continue to win market share. While legacy ‘gold brick’ modules once met needs, they were complex to assemble, burdened by high cost and power dissipation, while also demanding substantial PCB real-estate.

TriQuint introduced the first SMT modulator drivers for high-capacity optical networks, and has since built the industry’s largest product portfolio. TriQuint solutions offer higher performance, ease of manufacturing, greater efficiency and integrated functionality. TriQuint’s unique semiconductor passivation technology enables modulator drivers and other products to endure harsh conditions better than any other, which lowers maintenance and extends operational lifetimes.

"As we expand our optical product portfolio, we remain committed to improving the performance and lowering system costs for our customers. TriQuint solutions continue to set RF performance and reliability standards for current 100G and next-generation high capacity networks required to support the exponential growth in video and data demand,” remarked James L. Klein, Vice President and General Manager for Infrastructure and Defense Products.

Infonetics Research forecasts continued growth for 100G networks and components, particularly for lower cost formats such as CFP2. "Operators no longer view 100G as an exotic technology and the market is entering a new stage of growth where lower equipment cost is a critical catalyst to wider adoption. Lower cost 100G networks will accelerate adoption of the technology into higher volume parts of the market, such as the metro. High performance, surface-mount solutions like TriQuint’s continue to play key roles in the transition to 100G systems and beyond,” said Infonetics’ Andrew Schmitt, Principal Analyst, Optical.

New TriQuint Solutions

TGA4894-SL – TriQuint’s new lead-less SMT dual-channel linear driver reduces part counts by half compared to single-channel devices while meeting the higher order 16 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) requirements for 200/400G systems; it is based on TriQuint’s proven single-channel solutions. The new TGA4894-SL exhibits high gain, low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and high channel-to-channel isolation. The TGA4894-SL’s high gain (33dB) is a key benefit. When paired with commonly utilized / low-power DACs, it provides sufficient gain to deliver more than 7Vpp to industry-standard modulators; this results in low THD (<3%), a key requirement for 200/400G systems.

TGA4957-SM – TriQuint’s TGA4957-SM is designed for 40/100G long-haul and regional markets as well as ultra-long haul (1000-4000+km) systems employing DP-BPSK modulation. It reduces the device footprint by 50% compared to prior generations.

TGA4840-SM – This new modulator driver provides world-class power dissipation not exceeding 165mW for 32G baud rates in a miniaturized form factor. This enables TriQuint to grow its portfolio into short-reach / access network applications including those connecting smartphones and tablets. The TGA4840-SM is ideal for ‘hot pluggable’ modules supporting the CFP2/CFP4 standards that are one-half to one-quarter the size of standard CFP modules.

TGA2565-SM – TriQuint’s new SMT wideband clock driver covers three key frequencies: 11.3, 14.5 and 16.5 GHz. The TGA2565-SM integrates analog gain control (AGC) that eliminates an off-chip component and utilizes industry standard plastic encapsulated SMT packaging. This solution reduces part counts while covering three frequencies with one product.

TriQuint representatives will be available at ECOC in London on September 25 in Meeting Room 9. Contact TriQuint to discover ways TriQuint’s latest RF optical solutions can reduce costs and improve performance in your design. TriQuint modulator drivers, clock drivers and transimpedance amplifiers deliver industry-leading solutions. Visit us online for complete optical RF portfolio details and register to receive product updates and TriQuint’s newsletter.

Product Solutions Technical Details: Contact TriQuint for additional information.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TQNT) press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. The cautionary statements made in this press release should be read as being applicable to all related statements wherever they appear. Statements containing such words as ‘leading’, ‘exceptional’, ‘high efficiency’, ‘key role’, ‘leading supplier’, or similar terms are considered to contain uncertainty and are forward-looking statements. A number of factors affect TriQuint’s operating results and could cause its actual future results to differ materially from any results indicated in this press release or in any other forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, TriQuint including, but not limited to: those associated with the unpredictability and volatility of customer acceptance of and demand for our products and technologies, the ability of our production facilities and those of our vendors to meet demand, the ability of our production facilities and those of our vendors to produce products with yields sufficient to maintain profitability, as well as the other "Risk Factors” set forth in TriQuint’s most recent 10-Q report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This and other reports can be found on the SEC web site, www.sec.gov. A reader of this release should understand that these and other risks could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations expressed / implied in forward-looking statements.

FACTS ABOUT TRIQUINT

Founded in 1985, TriQuint Semiconductor (NASDAQ: TQNT) is a leading global provider of innovative RF solutions and foundry services for the world’s top communications, defense and aerospace companies. People and organizations around the world need real-time, all-the-time connections; TriQuint products help reduce the cost and increase the performance of connected mobile devices and the networks that deliver critical voice, data and video communications. With the industry’s broadest technology portfolio, recognized R&D leadership, and expertise in high-volume manufacturing, TriQuint creates standard and custom products using gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technologies. The company has ISO9001-certified manufacturing facilities in the U.S., production in Costa Rica, and design centers in North America and Germany. For more information, visit www.triquint.com.

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