Zarlink

Overview

Zarlink Semiconductor delivers world-leading, mixed-signal chip technology for a broad range of communications, optical and medical applications. The Company's core capabilities are in network timing, voice enhancement, optical interconnect and ultra low-power wireless communication. Serving the world's largest equipment manufacturers, Zarlink's highly integrated chip solutions help customers simplify design, lower costs and reach market quickly.

Communication Products

Carriers and service providers are transitioning from a circuit-switched to a packet-based infrastructure. Zarlink's expertise in timing and synchronization, voice technologies for residential, access and enterprise equipment, packet processing, TDM (time-division multiplex) switching, and voice processing helps navigate the complexities of converging networks.

Medical Products

Customers rely on Zarlink's ultra low-power design skills and system knowledge for medical products that help improve patient care and lower healthcare costs. Zarlink's combined ultra-low power and RF (radio frequency) design know-how is enabling a wide range of advanced healthcare products, including the world's first swallowable camera capsule and wirelessly enabled implanted medical devices supporting new monitoring, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Optical Products

Zarlink's market-proven expertise is helping to drive a range of new optical interconnect products that deliver significant weight, flexibility and reach advantages while reducing installation time and layout concerns. This includes ZLynx active optical cables for data center and computer cluster interconnect. Zarlink's homegrown multi-channel physical medium dependent integrated circuits and state-of-the-art array photonics technology is at the heart of integrated optical module and transceiver solutions that provide equipment manufacturers with board space and power savings.

Research and Development

Zarlink holds a strong portfolio of intellectual property, numbering about 2,100 patents and pending applications in key technologies such as voice and packet processing, optical, RF, and digital design. In Fiscal 2009, R&D spending was US$46.0 million, or 20% of revenue.

Operations

Zarlink sells products to 3,000 customers in more than 100 countries. It has R&D centers in Ottawa (Canada); San Diego, Phoenix, Austin and Reading (U.S.A.); Jarfalla (Sweden); and Caldicot and Plymouth (UK). Zarlink operates specialized fabrication centers in Caldicot and Jarfalla.