Quantifi Photonics has announced the Laser 1300 Series CW-WDM MSA-compliant laser test source. The instrument leverages Ayar Labs’ SuperNova laser technology to offer a multi-port, multi-wavelength light source within a standardized PXIe module.
The Laser 1300 Series offers synchronized triggering, a small footprint, simple integration, and the company’s CohesionUI software interface. The first model in the line, the Laser-1301, features eight channels, with eight CW-WDM MSA-compatible wavelengths. Technicians can pair the Laser-1301 with other of the company’s existing PXIe-based product line to build out a complete CW-WDM8 test resource, says Quantifi. Such PXIe-based building blocks include the Laser-1226 and Laser-1227 (modules with individually controllable wavelengths at the MSA grid), Passive-1024 (CW-WDM8 multiplexer), Passive-1025 (CW-WDM8 demultiplexer), and the OSA-1001 (an optical spectrum analyzer that covers the CW-WDM range).
The Laser 1300 Series is designed to enable the characterization of photonic integrated circuits for artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), and high-density optics applications as well as provide a scalable, reproducible light source for mass production testing.
Meanwhile, the SuperNova is part of Ayar Labs’ co-packaged optics offering (see “Ayar Labs partners with GLOBALFOUNDRIES for optical I/O demo, expanded sampling for co-packaged optics”).
“We are excited to partner with Ayar Labs and admire their trail-blazing technology that will unlock the potential of AI and HPC systems,” commented Kees Propstra, vice president, marketing, and general manager of Quantifi Photonics USA. “It’s well known that the external light source is a critical component of the co-packaged optics ecosystem. By combining the SuperNova CW-WDM-compliant light source with our proven PXIe-based optical test platform, we can offer a CW-WDM capable test platform to serve the growing demand in the market and enable the testing and validation of PIC-based optical interconnects and accelerate adoption across the industry.”
"This is a great example of what the CW-WDM MSA wanted to accomplish by publishing the first specification; the development of commercial laser sources for high wavelength count applications,” said Chris Cole, chair of the CW-WDM MSA. “We are now ready to start considering our next step, which is the development and publication of link specifications."
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