EMCORE micro-ITLA tunable laser reaches volume production

EMCORE Corp. (NASDAQ:EMKR) says it has begun volume production its micro-Integrable Tunable Laser Assembly (micro-ITLA). The company believes it is the first micro-ITLA supplier to meet this milestone.

As its name implies, the device is a smaller version of the ITLA, a device that has served as a foundational enabler of 100-Gbps coherent transmission technology. The micro-ITLA should enable smaller, less-power hungry versions of 100G modules and line cards (listen to the podcast “Micro-ITLAs as enablers of next-generation coherent 100G” for more info). The Optical Internetworking Forum has established specifications for both the ITLA and micro-ITLA.

EMCORE has leveraged its Clearlight External Cavity Laser (ECL) technology for the micro-ITLA. The micro-ITLA integrates this proprietary ECL technology into a miniaturized form-factor that is 3X smaller and consumes over 1 W less power than the larger ITLAs. The micro-ITLA allows tuning to any grid and frequency and has a 15-dBm high-output power option, as well as such features as in-operation frequency fine tune of ±6 GHz, and in-operation power adjust of 6 dB. EMCORE says its micro-ITLA is fully C-Band tunable; L-Band tunability in the same form-factor should be available later this year, the company expects. Other features, such as “ultra-low” power dissipation options and “ultra-high” output power will be available in the same time frame, the company adds.

Company sources at OFC/NFOEC said they already have design wins for the micro-ITLA, which also is in field trials. EMCORE has shipped more than 400 samples so far.

"We are extremely pleased that the micro-ITLA has been designed into several key customer platforms since we began sampling customers with the product in 2012," commented Christopher Larocca, EMCORE’s COO. "By leveraging our leading-edge ITLA technology and in-house semiconductor design and manufacturing expertise, the micro-ITLA provides customers with a highly differentiated tunable laser solution for demanding high-performance telecom applications."

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