February 8, 2006 Dublin, Ireland -- Eblana Photonics has introduced a series of single-wavelength laser diodes for IEEE 802.3ae-2002 10GBASE-LX4 applications. The company says the products build on its existing isolator-free, single-wavelength laser diode products, which have been deployed by PON equipment manufacturers as an alternative to traditional distributed feedback (DFB)-based transceivers, whose manufacturing costs can be prohibitive for mass market applications.
The company contends that, until now, the LX4 standard has had only limited deployment due to module pricing which is largely attributable to the use of DFB lasers in the complex optical train. The company says its LDM product series uses a proprietary photon-bandgap technology platform to provide 10G Ethernet LX4 equipment manufacturers with a suite of single-wavelength lasers at a fraction of the price of conventional DFB products. The company says the isolator-free capability of the LDM products eases the implementation of space constrained package formats such as X2 and SFP, while reducing costs by shrinking the LX4 BOM and simplifying module manufacturing.
According to the company, in addition to addressing the packaging problem for LX4 modules by eliminating the need for optical isolators, the "6σ" component consistency of the LDM devices can drive down the manufacturing cost of modules by enabling the application of statistical process control by module manufacturers. The company says the LDM products are uniquely suitable for integration into PLC packaging, not only since an isolator is not required, but also due to their ability to offer manufacturers high coupling efficiency and more accurate device registration - two key properties that drive up yield levels.
According to the company, the LDM product set meets all requirements of the LX4 protocol, as defined in the IEEE 802.3ae-2002 standard, and utilizes four single-wavelength lasers operating at precisely defined wavelengths centered at λ = 1275, 1300, 1325, and 1350-nm, each operating at a data rate of 3.125 Gbit/sec, to provide an aggregate performance of 10 Gbit/sec across legacy Ethernet multimode cabling infrastructure. The LDM lasers have stable single wavelength temperature performance over a temperature range of 0 to 85°C and typically feature side mode suppression ratios (SMSR) better than 35 dB.
"Eblana's LDM product series represents a further step in our continuing commitment to drive unnecessary and unproductive cost out of optical module manufacture, which has been the most constraining factor to widespread deployment of LX4 networking technology," concludes James O'Gorman Eblana's CEO. "By applying our proven technology platform to LX4, Eblana is effectively enabling transceiver manufacturers in this market realize the true potential of their commitment to this technology."