Bookham has shipped more than 4 million polarisation stabilised VCSELs for optical computer mouse applications, and has shifted manufacturing to its High Power Laser facility in Zurich, Switzerland, to meet increasing demand.
The move will allow Bookham to increase capacity of VCSEL production and offer its customers scalable manufacturing. The company has invested in semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment to provide the facility with a high capacity and controlled high precision manufacturing environment. As well as established business in the datacoms sector, VCSELs have seen significant take-up as an alternative to LEDs in optical computer mice.
‘We expect that the optical navigation market will approach 100 million chips annually,’ said Karlheinz Gulden, director of VCSEL products at Bookham. He added: ‘Low cost and high reliability, combined with stable single-mode emission and, crucially, low power consumption, have made VCSELs an attractive option for optical computer mice manufacturers. During last year, Bookham shipped more than four million 850nm single-mode VCSELs with active polarisation stabilisation. With the new facility, we now have the infrastructure in place for further scaling of our manufacturing capacity to meet the demand of VCSEL for low power optical engines.’
