ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Zia Laser, Inc., a developer of Quantum Dot (QD) laser technology for data and telecommunications networks, has achieved four technical milestones crucial towards manufacturing QD lasers which redefine network economics through nanostructure technology.
The first milestone was achieved through the manufacturing of 1310nm DFB lasers on gallium arsenide, which allows for lower cost manufacturing compared to indium phosphide substrates. Second, output power is 5 times more stable compared to traditional QW lasers over uncooled operating temperature ranges. Third, Zia has produced a 1310 based monolithic laser structure with operating wavelengths from 1277nm-1333nm; making it the most cost effective solution for CWDM Ethernet applications. Finally, the 1550nm Tunable Gain Chip has achieved S,C & L band tunability with a maximum 40mW output power.
Luke Lester, CTO and Founder, comments " We achieved these milestones sooner and with better results than we had ever anticipated. These results are very encouraging and validate our efforts in moving QD technology from the research labs to commercial viability. Accomplishing these milestones was crucial in demonstrating the validity of QD laser technology. This is further reinforced with an aggregate 23,500 hours of testing and reliability data on these devices, allowing us to deliver samples in April."
Sohale Mufti, Chief of Marketing and Sales, added "Zia has great potential with this technology in meeting customer needs with QD lasers that are highly temperature insensitive, have an extremely broad gain spectrum and ultra low linewidth."
The company is positioned to offer lasers that provide a lower systems cost solution with superior performance. "Systems and components suppliers are looking for solutions that offer both higher performance and lower cost, at the same time. Zia Laser with its Quantum Dot technology has the potential to make this a reality," commented industry analyst Tom Hausken, Director Optical Communications Components at Strategies Unlimited.
Now more than ever, fixed and tunable laser module vendors are searching for lower systems cost solutions that offer superior performance over their competitors. This phenomenon spawned the evolution of VCSELs from traditional Quantum Well laser diode designs. Thomas Brennan, President and CEO, one of the founding pioneers in commercializing VCSEL technology comments "the next step in the evolution of laser diode design has begun; it is the QD laser. Based on my experience with the commercialization of VCSELs, Quantum Dot has a more profound systems level impact. Module vendors will be able to replace their current QW lasers with QD lasers that have better performance before needing to add external modulation, cooling or isolation."
Zia Laser will be at OFC March 19-21, 2002 at booth 1995. For more information, visit www.zialaser.com.