Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (Nasdaq: AAOI) has introduced a new line of next generation laser components that enable ultra-high-speed bandwidth cable broadband equipment.
AOI's new laser components are used as transmitters in cable TV head-end applications where they aggregate video and broadband signals onto the optical fiber for transmission to the consumer. The new devices are designed for use at higher frequencies such as those specified by the recently ratified DOCSIS 3.1 cable Internet standard.
"Due to ever-increasing bandwidth demand by consumers, CATV operators will be deploying advanced architectures," says Dr. Fred Chang, senior vice president of AOI's optical component business unit. "The new DOCSIS 3.1 standard unlocks higher frequencies in the cable plant which in turn allows operators to offer more and more bandwidth to consumers without adding new optical fibers in their plant."
The new transmitter lasers apply DWDM, which combines tightly spaced wavelengths from different laser sources onto a single optical fiber. With the new lasers, service providers will be able to deliver up to 79 NTSC analog channels plus additional QAM digital CATV signals per wavelength. Compared to the previous generation of similar lasers, these new designs deliver 44% greater bandwidth above 550 MHz for more QAM channels and enhanced total bandwidth capacity, the company asserts.
The new generation of lasers can support RF frequencies up to 1.2 GHz and offer low chirp (50 MHz/mA) to enable transmission distances up to 60 km. These features are combined with low second- and third-order distortions to provide a high degree of tolerance for system impairments. The lasers are packaged in a 14-pin butterfly housing, which includes an integrated thermoelectric cooler for precise wavelength control and standard OC-48 pin assignments.
AOI says it manufactures the QAM laser chip in-house at its laser fabrication facility in Houston.
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