April 19, 2005 Nashua, NH -- Lightwave is pleased to announce the winners of its fifth annual Attendees' Choice Awards, held at the Optical Fiber Communication and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conferences (OFC/NFOEC 2005) in March. The awards are designed to provide a "grass roots" view of what's hot and what's not, and many conference attendees took the time to tell us which products impressed them the most at the show.
Systems: The Metro DWDM Wavelength Services Manager from Lucent Technologies.
The Metropolis wavelength services manager helps service providers deliver optical bandwidth directly to their customers' premises in the metro access, interoffice, and regional application spaces and increase the capacity of their infrastructure. The modular and flexible architecture reduces complexity through a common optical platform using DWDM and CWDM technologies.
Subsystems: The 10G Widely Tunable Transponder from Agility Communications.
The 10-Gbit/sec widely tunable transponder incorporates advanced electronic distortion compensation technology to increase dispersion tolerance to >+2,000 psec/nm. It is designed for use in both dynamic network applications where the dispersion path may change over time and more static applications where network planning constraints are eased substantially.
Components: The VSC7965 laser driver / limiting amplifier from Vitesse.
The VSC7965 integrated burst-mode DFB/FP laser driver and limiting amplifier supports data rates of 125 Mbits/sec to 1.25 Gbits/sec. It is designed for use in BPON, EPON, and GPON optical-network-unit modules as well as 155- and 622-Mbit/sec small-form-factor optical modules. The device has an automatic power control loop that supports both burst- and continuous-mode operation. The PPC function does not require any initialization sequence, allowing for instantaneous operation.
Test Equipment: The Optical Backscatter Reflectometer from Luna Technologies.
With the frequency-domain reflectometer failure-analysis tool designers and manufacturers of optical components, modules, and assemblies can measure minute reflections with 125-dB sensitivity, 60-dB dynamic range, and 40-µm spatial resolution for up to 30 m of optical length with zero dead zone to improve product quality and reduce test time.
Installation: Tomcat FTTP/FTTH handheld fusion splicers from Sumitomo Electric Lightwave.
For FTTP/FTTH, premises, optical-component-assembly, and restoration applications, the TomCat handheld fusion splicers offer ease-of use and portability while providing precision and reliability. The 25S single-fiber and 25U mass fusion splicers feature dual-camera splice screening technology and splice estimation. They have adjustable position monitors, front-to-back workflows, and fiber-holder systems.
Manufacturing: The Model 6500 photonic-component die bonder from Palomar Technologies.
The model 6500 eutectic die bonder combines high accuracy, speed, and compact 38x48-inch footprint for precision assembly applications. Placement accuracy of 1.5 µm, 3 sigma and throughput >7 sec/placement automate assembly for advanced multi-component, multi-step assembly processes such as P-side down laser-diode attachment, silicon bench (V-groove) placement, high-density RF power transistors, and ultra-fine-pitch hybrid assemblies.
Education & Training: The "Fundamentals of Fiber Optics: A Primer on Optical Fibers" DVD, from Light Brigade.
"Fundamentals of Fiber Optics: A Primer on Optical Fibers" reviews the fascinating history and evolution of optical fibers. The DVD serves as a primer on major types of fibers, their structure, and their applications. Other topics include attenuation, manufacturing processes, tolerance concerns, fiber modes, optical dispersion, WDM, and specialty fiber types. The DVD incorporates video clips, animations, and graphics to enhance the learning experience. A content knowledge quiz is also included.
Design Tools: The OptSim 4.0 intuitive modeling and simulation environment from RSoft Design Group.
OptSim 4.0 is an intuitive modeling and simulation environment for the design and performance evaluation of optical communications systems. Its proprietary time- and frequency-domain algorithms allow simulation of complex systems with efficiency and accuracy. The program includes an extended library of predefined components that can be used to create many different what-if scenarios. Flexible co-simulation interfaces with MATLAB, C/C++, Fortran, etc., make it easy to create new custom components and reuse old code.