iTerra Communications has released Telcordia-qualified 9.9 Gbps to 12.5 Gbps NRZ optical modulator drivers that are RoHS-6-compliant. To receive Telcordia qualification, both iT6154 and iT6155 passed the telecom industry's stringent GR-357 CORE specification that lets transponder manufacturers provide a significant reliability checkpoint for their customers, according to iTerra. Also, the iT6155 is a drop-in replacement for a leading industry alternative modulator driver. The 3 Vpp to 6 Vpp output voltage of both devices makes them suitable choices for driving Mach-Zehnder lithium-niobate modulators employed in 10-Gbps lightwave communications systems. The devices can drive electro-absorption (EA) modulators as well.

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The iT6154 and iT6155 amplify a 10-Gbps serial data signal from the transmitter's multiplexer to a signal level that is compatible with the input of an optical modulator. The iT6155 has a 22 ps typical rise time, maximum rms jitter of 2 ps (less than 12 ps peak-to-peak), and maximum power consumption of 1.2 W. The iT6154 features a 25 ps typical rise time, maximum rms jitter of only 1 ps, and maximum power consumption of 700 mW. Other features of the devices include MSA-compatible supply voltages, high input sensitivity of 1.5 mV for the iT6154 and 250 mV to 800 mV for the iT6155, as well as variable output amplitude and eye crossing point.

The iT6155 is priced at $175 and the iT6154 at $150 in small quantities. Sample quantities are in stock now. Production lead-time is "in stock" for quantities less than 50 units. The devices are also available on an evaluation board as the iT6155EVB and iT6154EVB.