Santec unveils TSL-550 tunable laser for optical component testing

Optical component and light source developer Santec has announced the TSL-550, its newest tunable laser. The TSL-550 is designed to provide wide, high-resolution, mode-hop-free tuning across 1260-1360/1500-1630 nm with an output, says the company.

The TSL-550 also provides high power and high signal-to-noise ratio, Santec asserts. The fully programmable tunable laser offers fine tuning and coherence control for precision optical testing. A proprietary cavity design lowers the optical ASE noise to produce an SNR of over 90 dB/0.1 nm and an output power of more than +10 dBm, Santec adds.

The TSL-550 comes in two versions. The less expensive Type A features a wavelength meter with +/-30-pm wavelength accuracy. For applications that require greater accuracy, Type C offers an absolute wavelength accuracy of less than 5 pm.

Santec expects the TSL-550 to find use in:

• optical component characterization
• fiber-optic transmission testing
• photonic material characterization
• interferometry
• optical spectroscopy.
  

In production inspection applications, the TSL-550 can improve inspection throughput by doubling the scan repetition rate over conventional lasers, Santec asserts. Combining the TSL-550 with other elements of Santec's test and measurement portfolio enables turnkey approaches for measurement of WDL and PDL, the company adds.

Santec says the price of the new TSL-550 is equivalent to its conventional model TSL-510.

For more information on test equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyers' Guide.