Trw is forming velocium, a new company in Manhattan Beach, Calif., to provide very high-speed indium phosphide (InP) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) components for digital and analog applications, including fiber-optic and wireless telecommunications systems. The InP products operate at rates of 40 Gbps., which is four times the speed of the fiber-optic Internet backbone, but a speed that fiber-optic system developers need to convert optical data to electronic bits for computer use. An InP device recently demonstrated 80 GHz. digital circuits. Further, InP power amplifiers consume about half the power of other technologies, improving battery life. TRW has completed the first fabrication facility for volume production of InP chips using 4-in. (100-mm.) wafers. The first of Velocium's InP products, a 40 Gbps. OC-768 integrated photoreceiver, will be available in volume quantities beginning this month, according to TRW.
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