Los Angeles-based Terraphotonics Systems Corp. has released a 40-channel C-Band DWDM optical multiplexer/demultiplexer (MUX/DEMUX). The 1RU chassis module features ultra wideband athermal arrayed waveguide gratings (AAWGs) with what the company describes as “super flat tops” to target 400-Gbps network applications.
The company believes the MUX/DEMUX unit could serve in a variety of applications where capacity requirements have begun to approach 400 Gbps. These include high-performance data centers and optical networks that will handle the proliferation of video streaming and use of image-intensive apps. With the IEEE P802.3bs 400 Gigabit Ethernet Task Force expected to complete its work by the end of this year, the time is right to begin thinking about 400G applications, according to Terraphotonics. Such applications, however, will require AWGs with flatter tops than previous generations, which the new MUX/DEMUX provides.
"As a niche vendor, we have been following the trend in DWDM system requirements from 100-GHz C-Band 40 channels to shorter bandwidths with more channels. For 100G data transport, whether it is serviced by 10 by 10G or 4 by 25G laser optics, Terraphotonics's standard or regular AAWGs can provide the data network providers with necessary DWDM optical muxing and demuxing function. But for 400G data transport, the regular flat-top is not good enough, requiring more flattening of the filtering band," says Dr. Donald Yu, the CMO of Terraphotonics.
According to Adib Sharif, vice president of SCM and international operations at Terraphotonics, the company worked with a partner who tuned their super athermal AAWG production technology to enable manufacture of the necessary ultra-wide super-flat-top 400G-capable AAWGs. The key issue in making the 400G super flat-top AAWG, he said, was to widen the band at 90 GHz at 3 dB (644 pm~728 pm) while controlling insertion loss (IL) at minimum.
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