- 25 May 2006 -

Zarlink bags Primarion Optical I/O Group

Zarlink Semiconductor is to augment its fibre optic modules capabilities with the addition of the optical I/O (in/out) business of Primarion, Inc., the Torrance, CA, USA, headquartered supplier of digital power conversion ICs.

The US$7m cash deal includes Primarion's optical I/O assets and intellectual property. Zarlink intends to retain all 10 former Primarion I/O group employees.

Primarion's I/O business, based in Phoenix, AZ, is the technology and market leader for laser driver and optical receiver ICs used in multi-lane, parallel fibre optic modules. Several global customers have designed Primarion's physical layer I/O solutions into optical modules used in enterprise data centres for interconnect applications such as Ethernet, fibre channel and proprietary very short reach optical links.

"There are exciting growth prospects for parallel optics in emerging markets such as high-performance computer interconnect, industrial automation and military applications, as well as telecom," said Dr Stan Swirhun, senior VP and GM, Zarlink Optical Products Group. "We will provide superior support, and a high-quality, stable source of supply to Primarion customers. We will also introduce innovative optical solutions that combine Zarlink technology with Primarion optical ICs."

Meanwhile, Primarion is to focus on its core business of developing and delivering digital power management ICs.

For more details, visit: www.zarlink.com