• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

NeoPhotonics Launches Access Product Line, Athermal AWGs and PLC ``Blocker'' Modules; Full Suite for Access Networks Featured at OFC2004

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 06:00 CST

NeoPhotonics Corporation, a leading supplier of integrated optical, planar lightwave circuit (PLC) modules, announces a new suite of optical components for access networks. The company's access product suite includes a full range of splitters and couplers, new "triple play" triplexer transceivers, CWDM Mux/DMux modules, and fully athermal arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) DWDM Mux/DMux modules for fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) installations. The company is also enhancing its next-generation metro network offerings by adding highly integrated optical modules, including a 40 channel integrated PLC "Blocker" and monitored VOA multiplexers. ¶ Tim Jenks, chief executive officer for NeoPhotonics notes, "The future of optical components lies in integration. The products introduced today illustrate our company's unparalleled technical and development capabilities focused on developing unique, high performance, high volume optical modules based on the integration principle."

¶ PLC Access Suite

¶ NeoPhotonics' industry-leading Lightweaver(TM) line of PLC-based optical products features high performance 1x8, 1x16 and 1x32 splitters, which are ideal for FTTP deployments. The new PLC-based 'triple play' transceiver incorporates planar filtering and alignment with hybrid integration of active elements. ¶"By integrating photodiode and laser elements on our waveguide 'bench', our 'triple play' triplexer transceiver provides a unique high performance, low cost solution for FTTP use," notes Dr. Ferris Lipscomb, vice president of marketing for NeoPhotonics. "For both the splitters and the triplexers, only PLC solutions will meet the demanding performance and cost targets required for massive FTTP deployment."¶ Based on a fundamentally new design principles, the fully athermal CWDM and DWDM Mux/DMux modules are designed for upstream access and enterprise applications. The structure of the CWDM device is more like a PLC splitter than a traditional thin film filter device. "With a 13 nm passband and more than 30 dB of isolation, the Lightweaver(TM) CWDM Mux/DMux meets all of the requirements of the ITU standard and is available in both 4-channel and 8-channel configurations," said Jenks. "This new paradigm for CWDM provides our customers with high performance, lower cost and smaller size."¶ In addition, the company has commenced commercial shipment of fully athermal and fully passive AWG-based DWDM Mux/DMux modules for outdoor applications. Units are available in 8- to 40-channel configurations for 100 GHz networks. "Our athermal AWG line now delivers a fully passive, no power Mux/DMux module with the same high performance customers have come to expect from our broad range of 100 GHz and 50 GHz AWGs," said Dr. Lipscomb. "Given the excellent performance of these products across the full -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C outdoor temperature range, we expect them to displace thin film filter devices and some powered AWGs in traditional DWDM applications."

¶ PLC Blocker

¶ Further increasing the level of PLC integration achievable, NeoPhotonics introduces its new 40 channel integrated PLC blocker. Blockers represent a central component in certain next generation reconfigurable add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) architectures. Dr. Lipscomb notes that, "Unlike current blockers on the market, which are expensive bulk optical instruments, our PLC-based blocker offers superior performance and can be mass produced at a price point that enables wide spread deployment by carriers."¶ NeoPhotonics will display its full line of PLC-based components for metro and long haul DWDM networks at OFC2004, including colorless (cyclic) 8 channel 50 GHz Mux/DMux modules, 32-40 channel MSA-based wideband and gaussian AWGs, 8-40 channel VOA Multiplexers and monitored, self managed VOA Multiplexers. NeoPhotonics will be in stand number 2023 in the South Hall at OFC in Los Angeles.

¶ Notes for Editors

¶ (1) The Optical Fiber Communication (OFC) 004 Conference, managed

by the Optical Society of America, is among the communications

industry's premier commercial events. This year the conference

will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los

Angeles, California USA from 22-27 February. See

www.ofcconference.org.

¶ (2) NeoPhotonics will participate in OFC Workshop MB1. Integrated

Waveguide Devices - Hybrid or Monolithic. OFC, Monday, 23

February, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm MB1. Room 515A.

¶ (3) "Mux/DMux" refers to Multiplexer/De-multiplexer, especially as

applicable to Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and

Course Wave Division Multiplexing (CWDM) solutions. "VMUX" or

"VOA" Mux/DMux refers to Variable Optical Attenuator

Multiplexer (or Demultiplexer). See for example

http://www.atis.org/tg2k/ for glossary support.

¶ About NeoPhotonics

¶ NeoPhotonics Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturing of integrated optical modules on its planar lightwave circuit (PLC) platform for telecom, datacom, FTTP, CATV and other markets. Headquartered in San Jose, California, USA, NeoPhotonics' PLC platform offers the highest performance, lowest cost integrated optical products, modules and subsystems. The company acquired Lightwave Microsystems in early 2003. Its manufacturing operations are ISO 9001:2000 certified. NeoPhotonics is backed by venture capital investors and corporate strategic partners. NeoPhotonics Corporation is on the web at www.neophotonics.com.

More News in this Category