Agilent Technologies to unveil optical polarization products at ECOC

AUGUST 20, 2007 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (search for Agilent) has expanded its fiber-optic test portfolio with six new polarization analysis and control products for R&D and manufacturing of optical components and systems. The new products are designed to allow researchers and designers to fully characterize all polarization-related parameters with unmatched speed and accuracy.

Agilent will show these products for the first time at the European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication (ECOC), Sept. 17-19, at the International Congress Centrum in Berlin, Germany, Booth 069 - 074, Hall 15.

The products are based on technology developed by Adaptif Photonics, which Agilent acquired in June 2007. For manufacturers, the new product portfolio offers fast and cost-effective control and test for alignment, adjustment, and final test, Agilent says, helping to reduce the cost of test and increase yield and throughput.

"We acquired Adaptif Photonics to strengthen our optical test and measurement offerings," said Juergen Beck, business segment manager for photonic test and measurement at Agilent's Photonic and Network Test Division. "The new products offer unprecedented performance in the optical test industry and significantly enhance our offering for our customers, addressing their component test needs in high-speed broadband network designs."

The new products will include:

The N7781A, a compact high-speed polarization analyzer that designed to provide comprehensive capabilities for analyzing polarization properties of optical signals. This includes representation of the State of Polarization (SOP) on the PoincarÃ© Sphere (Stokes Parameter), starting at $17,000.
The N7782A PER analyzer, designed for high-speed and highly accurate testing of the polarization extinction ratio (PER) in PM fibers. The real-time measurement capability, in combination with automation interfaces, makes this unit suited for integration in manufacturing systems like pigtailing stations for optical components. Prices start at $15,000.
The N7783A, a thermal cycling unit is fully controlled by the Agilent N7782A PER analyzer that enables accurate and repeatable cycling of the temperature of the fiber under test. Prices start at $3,000.
A new family of polarization controllers -- N7784A, N7785A and N7786A -- provide a stable output SOP even with fluctuations and drifts of the input SOP -- as occurring, for example, through temperature drift and mechanical settling processes. This makes alignment and adjustment processes faster and more reliable, Agilent says, saving time and cost. With a built-in polarimeter, the Agilent N7786A provides high-speed polarization analysis capabilities, according to the company; more than 500,000 samples can be taken with a sample rate of up to 1 megasample/sec. The Agilent N7784A starts at $26,000, the Agilent N7785A at $22,000, and the Agilent N7786A at $28,000.
The N7788A component analyzer, which features proprietary technology comparable with the well-known Jones-Matrix-Eigenanalysis (JME) or differential group delay (DGD) of optical devices, Agilent says. New single-scan technology provides a complete set of parameters, including DGD/PMD /PDL/2nd order PMD, power/loss, TE/TM-loss, principal states of polarization (PSPs), and Jones and Mueller matrices, in a single test instrument. Pricing for the Agilent N7788A starts at $36,000.

All prices are U.S. pricing.

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