Keysight offers very high power tunable laser sources component testing

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) has introduced the 81602A, a tunable laser source with an optical power level of more than +17 dBm (50 mW). The high output power eases tolerance for power budgets in test setups and accelerates fiber or probe alignment by getting first light faster, the company says.

The 81602A made its debut at OFC 2016. At the show, Keysight also unveiled new wavelength options for its recently released 8160xA family of tunable laser modules for the 8164B lightwave measurement system.

Keysight says the high power of the 81602A helps compensate for the coupling loss of optical surface probes as well as the insertion loss of external modulators during integrated photonic design verification. This benefit better enables technicians to test photonic devices at relevant signal levels and wavelengths, according to the company. It offers a tuning range of 1250 nm to 1370 nm, which makes the laser applicable to silicon photonics development, Keysight adds.

Meanwhile, the new 8160xA models target the test needs associated with LR4 and CWDM receiver optical subassemblies (ROSA) and optical demultiplexers. The company says that the 81606A (which achieved Elite Score recognition in the 2016 Lightwave Innovation Reviews) and 81608A tunable laser modules with the new option 113 now can cover 1240 nm to 1380 nm and offer a peak output power above +13 dBm with low spontaneous emission. The features enable measurement of spectral response and sensitivity of 100 Gigabit Ethernet ROSAs well above noise levels, Keysight asserts, as well as verify the isolation of multiplexers/demultiplexers at high measurement dynamic range.

All members of the new tunable laser family are compatible with the current 81600B tunable laser source family programming commands and the N7700A photonic application suite.

"Silicon photonics researchers and designers of integrated optics who need to surface-probe wafers across a wide wavelength range are faced with challenging signal attenuation," said Juergen Beck, vice president and general manager of Keysight's Digital and Photonic Test Division. "The new extra high power O-band tunable laser enables them to characterize and functionally test their designs with real-life signal levels."

The 81606A top line tunable laser module with the new option 113 is available for ordering now at a list price of $72,964. Shipments will start in May.

Shipments of the 81608A value line tunable laser with option 113 will start in June at a price of $53,650. At the same time, the 81609A basic line tunable laser with option 113 will be available for $37,555.

The 81602A extra high-power tunable laser module will become available for ordering this month at a list price of $81,548. All tunable laser modules are compatible with the 8164B lightwave measurement system mainframe, Keysight says.

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