Bandwidth9, a supplier of optical components and subsystems,
announced the introduction of a wavelength locker that guides and
stabilizes optical light sources within 50 GHz ITU grid spacings. An
essential component for next-generation optical networks deploying high channel capacity within metro area infrastructures, the locker is the first of its kind. Incorporating both absolute ITU grid referencing and 50 GHz ITU grid spacings, the locker gives tunable transmitters the necessary channel boundaries required within carrier-class optical equipment.
Bandwidth9 has also reached a significant production milestone with the successful transition of its previously announced 100 GHz wavelength locker from its R&D labs in Fremont, Calif., to production manufacturing at the company's Systems Division manufacturing facility in Duluth, Ga. Coinciding with this event, the 100 GHz lockers have also successfully demonstrated the temperature cycling required as part of Telcordia testing requirements.
Bandwidth9's wavelength lockers are the first of their kind in the metro dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) industry. They supply dual-mode locking capabilities by providing exact C-band and L-band reference frequencies, as well as the capability to lock on ITU grid intervals. Other products require two separate lockers to achieve this. With the emergence of tunable optical networks, the need for precisely determining the location of the dynamically adjusted light sources has become an essential consideration
for using tunable lasers in virtually all forms of protocol within DWDM
systems and related applications.
Dr. Michael Jansen, Bandwidth9's senior vice president and general manager of the company's Components Division, stated, "The completion of the 50 GHz locker and the successful transition of the 100 GHz version to production provide unsurpassed integration and affordability for Bandwidth9's tunable products. The company is well positioned to meet the higher performance demands required in dynamic optical networks."
The dual-mode wavelength locker is designed to operate within the
company's MetroFlex tunable optical transmitter module, based on vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) technology. Using this technology, the Bandwidth9 tunable transmitter may be tuned and locked precisely on the ITU grid or may be variably offset from the ITU grid.
By offering a fully integrated DWDM metro solution that combines tuning, locking, and modulation functions within a single product, Bandwidth9 expects to dramatically reduce the cost of high-performance tunable solutions for the metro DWDM market. Bandwidth9 will be ramping up its locker manufacturing volume production to satisfy internal requirements as the company continues to increase the production of its MetroFlex product.
For more information, visit the Bandwidth9 Web site at
www.bw9.com.