CoAdna Photonics, Inc. says it plans to release a new line of ROADM subsystems based on a new liquid crystal (LC) technology platform, the Gen-2 LightFlow. Gen-2 includes a new ASIC chip and finer LC cells in a smaller form factor. It retains the same level of power consumption, which CoAdna asserts is the lowest available.
The company will use the Gen-2 LightFlow technology to offer twin wavelength-selective switch (WSS) capabilities and 12.5-GHz of flexible bandwidth granularity. The technology can be applied to new products for next-generation ROADMs and as drop-in upgrades for existing products.
New products on the drawing board with the Gen-2 technology include:
- Flexible bandwidth 1xN WSS: A drop-in upgrade of existing WSS products with identical mechanical and electrical interfaces, CoAdna says. Port count N can be up to 23, and bandwidth granularity is at 12.5 GHz.
- Twin 1xN WSS: This product is designed to provide a more compact and cost-effective option for route-and-select architectures, in which a pair of WSS modules is used for future higher data rate colorless/directionless/contentionless/flexible-grid ROADM networks. CoAdna will highlight this device in its booth at the upcoming OFC/NFOEC in Los Angeles next month.
- Twin BXC: Two compact multicast switches in one package for high-density CDC add/drop applications.
CoAdna will begin to roll out these products in the second half of this year, according to a company source.
“CoAdna strives to provide complete ROADM solutions to our customers. We have been committed and focused on continuing product innovations to address future network needs,” said Dr. Jack Kelly, CTO of CoAdna. “With this second-generation platform, we will be able to supply products with future-proof features, and at the same time, provide our customers a smooth upgrade path for existing ROADM systems.”
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