Tunable Photonics introduces new wavelength locker for DWDM systems
Tunable Photonics announced the availability of its TrueLock wavelength locker, a low-cost, small-package solution for precisely stabilizing transmitted wavelengths for tunable and fixed lasers used in DWDM applications.
Shown as a finished product for the first time at the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the TrueLock wavelength locker is available both as a hermetically-sealed external package and a miniature internal sub-assembly ready for transmitter module integration.
The need for the new TrueLock wavelength locker was brought about by the increasingly narrow channel spacing in DWDM systems and the resultant wavelength accuracy requirement on lasers transmitting in these systems. As important, transmitter module manufacturers desire to integrate this functionality in increasingly smaller module profiles. The TrueLock wavelength locker meets these market needs with accuracy (+/- 1.0 GHz), compact size, and availability in 100-, 50- and 25-Ghz channel spacing. The internal version builds on these advantages with its compact size (less than 5mm in each dimension), and freedom from active alignment assembly processes when installing into the laser module. The latter benefit, very important to transponder manufacturers looking to reduce costs, comes as a result of the company's temperature-controlled etalon approach.
The TrueLock wavelength locker features a patent-pending temperature-controlled etalon scheme. Temperature control of the etalon enables superior locker accuracy and stability, regardless of ambient temperature changes and without the need for temperature compensation by the control software. Further, because the etalon is temperature controlled, its optical pathlength can be modified much more easily than with typical methods of etalon tilt, which require costly active alignment schemes. Designed with a compact solid etalon and an extremely space-efficient optical layout, the TrueLock wavelength locker is a small multi-wavelength locking solution.
TrueLock internal lockers -- utilizing the same base components, but with an optical layout suitable for the OEM customer -- can be designed on customer request and specification. Availability is near-immediate once a custom designed optical layout is complete.
The TrueLock external wavelength locker is now available in evaluation unit samples, with general availability of Telcordia qualified units available in the 1st quarter of 2002. Pricing of these samples is competitive.
About Tunable Photonics:
Tunable Photonics is making the tunable network a reality with products such as the TrueLock wavelength locker. For more information, visit www.tunablephotonics.com.