(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- A key architect in the development of Infinera's (www.infinera.com) large-scale photonic integrated circuits, Infinera optical component technology senior director Radhakrishnan "Radha" Nagarajan has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (www.theiet.org) in recognition of his pioneering work in photonic integrated circuit design.

Nagarajan has played a role in developing the high-capacity optical transmission equipment manufacturer's PICs since its founding in 2001, according to Infinera's Monday announcement. Infinera's PICs are manufactured and extensively tested at its own fabrication facility in Sunnyvale, California, one of only a handful of semiconductor fabrication facilities opened in Silicon Valley this decade.

"This award by the IET is a great honor," Nagarajan said in a statement. "It is also recognition for the very talented PIC engineering team at Infinera. It has been a pleasure working in such an environment, from the days when there were two dozen of us in one building, up to and including the present, when Infinera is a company with nearly 1,000 people around the world."

With 150,000 members across 127 countries, the IET is one of the leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community. IET Fellowships are awarded to members who have demonstrated superior individual responsibility, sustained achievement and significant professionalism throughout their careers.

Infinera's PICs are "at the heart of Infinera's Digital Optical Networks architecture," according to the company. Providing improvements in density, scalability, reliability and power consumption, its commercial PICs integrate more than 50 optical components on a single chip less than 5 mm across, and its next generation devices have demonstrated monolithic integration levels of well over 400 components. 

Earlier this year, Infinera developed PICs capable of delivering 400 gigabit per second optical capacity in a single pair of chips using complex modulation formats, providing up to 80 percent power savings compared to conventional wavelength optics based on discrete optical components.

Nagarajan is also a fellow of the Optical Society America (www.osa.org) and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (www.ieee.org).

Nagarajan earned his undergraduate degree at the National University of Singapore, graduating with First Class Honours in Electrical Engineering. He obtained a Masters in Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo, and came to the U.S. to study at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he obtained a Ph.D, then stayed on as a researcher before joining optical components manufacturer SDL. In 2000, his team won the Photonics Circle of Excellence award for the design of a high power, single mode pump module for EDFA applications.

He joined Infinera in 2001, and in 2006, he was awarded the IEEE/LEOS Aron Kressel award in recognition of breakthrough work in the development and manufacturing of large scale photonic integrated circuits.

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