Intel today said that it has developed a laser modulator with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. What makes this device - it actually exists as a packaged prototype product – special is the fact that it runs within silicon and not relatively exotic and expensive materials that have enabled 40 Gb/s speeds before – such as lithium niobate and III-V compound semiconductors.

Intel believes that the technology one day could find use in future optical interconnects within computers and other devices. The company said it will be a cornerstone development to integrate multiple devices on a single chip that can transmit terabits of aggregate data per second in the near future.

(¤3)