Lightwave articles from March 2003

Lightwave archives from March 2003

Michigan's 'optical bridge' first step in statewide broadband access. (Networks).
March 1, 2003... The Michigan Broadband Development Authority (MBDA) is financing a new fiber-optic network across the 5mi Mackinac Bridge to link the Lower and Upper Peninsulas--the state's first initiative in providing statewide high-speed broadband access...

Long-haul market 'less bad' in 2003, say industry analysts. (Markets).(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2003... While it's no secret that the optical long-haul (LH) market is abysmally slow, it may be unfair to declare it officially dead. Recent whispers of possible LH upgrades and new builds indicate that the market at least has a pulse, leading some to...

Manufacturing roadmaps help identify routes to standards. (Trends).
March 1, 2003... Several initiatives are underway to establish a framework for the standardization of optoelectronic manufacturing processes. "There is large interest in the industry to get to a point where manufacturing processes can be verified to a...

Hot off the press.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... TeraXion (Quebec City) announced acquisition of the intellectual property of Phaethon Communications (Fremont, CA). According to the transaction, TeraXion will receive Phaethon's patents and trademarks as well as technological know-how....

Qwest Communications International. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Qwest Communications International (Denver) completed its self-healing fiber ring connecting eastern Oregon communities. The eastern Oregon ring is the third of five fiber rings currently under construction in the state. The self-healing...

Emerson Network Power. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Emerson Network Power (St. Louis) announced it is merging its Fiber-Conn Assemblies division and the optical division of LoDan international to form a consolidated optical interconnect assembly group. The new Optical connectivity division,...

360networks. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... 360networks (Vancouver, British Columbia) announced a contract with Videotran Telecom (VTL--Montreal) for the sale of dark fiber and the lease of network capacity. VTL will use the dark fiber and network capacity to enhance its network in...

Tyco Telecommunications. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Tyco Telecommunications (Morristown, NJ) completed the Tyco Global Network Pacific Ring, with connectivity between North America and the Pacific Rim. The ring is about 18,000 km long and includes two direct transpacific cables from Oregon to...

Optical Solutions (Minneapolis) began work with Montana's Vivid Networks and Big sky Communication to deploy the first fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Montana. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Optical Solutions (Minneapolis) began work with Montana's Vivid Networks and Big sky Communication to deploy the first fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Montana. The new network will deliver converged voice, high-speed data, and video...

SENKO Advanced Components. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... SENKO Advanced Components (Marlboro, MA) secured global distribution rights for the full line of E-2000 fiber-optic connectors and adapters manufactured by the Swiss firm, Reichle & De-Massari. The agreement also names SENKO as the master...

RSoft Design Group (Ossining, NY) acquired the intellectual property assets and key employees of ARTIS (Turin, Italy). (Industry Update: North America).(ARTIS )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... RSoft Design Group (Ossining, NY) acquired the intellectual property assets and key employees of ARTIS (Turin, Italy). ARTIS assets include OptSim, a software product for the simulation of optical communications systems, and Artifex, a modeling...

Turin Networks. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Turin Networks (Petaluma, CA), a developer of multiservice optical transport platforms, announced that the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) deployed Turin's Traverse platform as part of a major upgrade to its local infrastructure. Turin's...

Alloptic. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Alloptic (Livermore, CA) started the OSMINE (operations systems modification of intelligent network elements) compliance process. The OSMINE process is the final step in guaranteeing a true "carrier class" product and is required by many major...

Terabeam. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Calgary, Alberta, purchased the first links using free-space optics and millimeter-wave systems from Terabeam (Seattle) toward an estimated 20 links to connect offices and staff across the city. Following the linking of two buildings with...

ADC Telecommunications. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... ADC Telecommunications (Minneapolis) announced the three-year extension of an agreement to supply connectivity equipment to SBC Services, an SBC Communications (Washington, DC) company. The new extension provides for multimillions of dollars in...

Fujitsu Microelectronics America. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Fujitsu Microelectronics America (San Jose, CA) completed a set of seven powerful ASICs for Chiaro Networks (Richardson, TX) that formed the engine for the industry's first infrastructure class routing platform. Chiaro's Enstara routing system...

3M and Advanced Interconnect. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... 3M (St. Paul, MN) and Advanced Interconnect (Al-Franklin, MA), a wholly owned subsidiary of woodhead Industries, signed a licensing agreement that will enable Al to independently manufacture and sell the Optical Gateway Interface (OGI)...

Metrobility Optical Systems. (Industry Update: North America).( Local Access Communications contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Metrobility Optical Systems (Merrimack, NH) announced that Local Access Communications, a competitive local-exchange carrier in Lewis County, WA, is using Metrobility's Radiance technology to deliver optical Ethernet for high-speed Internet...

BTI Photonics. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... BTI Photonics (Ottawa, Ontario), a provider of optical transport link systems, closed its series B financing round, raising $10.4 million. The round was led by VenGrowth Capital Partners and included existing investors BCE Capital, Kodiak...

SiGe Semiconductor. (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... SiGe Semiconductor (Boston), a supplier of high-speed optical systems, announced it has raised $42.8 million in series B funding. The investment is the third highest round of financing closed by a fabless semiconductor company during the last...

Colibrys SA. (Industry Update: Europe).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Independent micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturer Colibrys SA (Neuchatel, Switzerland) successfully completed a $10-million second round of venture capital (VC) funding. All existing VC investors participated in the round,...

Midlands Photonics Cluster and the U.K. Laser and Electro-Optics Association (UKLEO) joined forces, integrating all members of the UKLEO into one unified Photonics Cluster. (Industry Update: Europe).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Midlands Photonics Cluster and the U.K. Laser and Electro-Optics Association (UKLEO) joined forces, integrating all members of the UKLEO into one unified Photonics Cluster. The merger is expected to provide excellent opportunities for...

Transmode Systems AB. (Industry Update: Europe).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Transmode Systems AB (Stockholm) delivered its coarse WDM systems to SL Infrateknik (Stockholm), the network owner of Stockholm Underground. SL Infrateknik is building a network that will connect all the underground stations and key centers in...

Retecal. (Industry Update: Europe).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Retecal (Madrid), the cable telecommunications operator in Spain's Castilla-Leon region, upgraded its data network to an open IP-based system and increased its overall DWDM infrastructure capacity by deploying routing switches and optical...

Marconi plc. (Industry Update: Europe).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Marconi plc (Milan, Italy) selected the Xilinx (San Jose, CA) Virtex-II platform field-programmable gate arrays for Gigabit Ethernet traffic over its SONET/SDH products for optical-network applications. The new generation of products is...

Opto Speed. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Opto Speed (Ruschlikon, Switzerland) signed a distribution agreement with Unistand Technology (Taichung City, Taiwan) to sell and support Opto Speed's suite of products in the Taiwan market. Opto Speed manufactures and markets indium...

Chiaro Networks. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Chiaro Networks (Richardson, TX) announced a marketing services agreement with Korea-based P&H Telecom (Seoul) to market Chiaro's IP routing platform, Enstara, to Korean service providers. Enstara is an IP routing platform with an all-optical...

Zhejiang Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom (Beijing), announced it will deploy the Cisco Systems (San Jose, CA) metro Ethernet switching products throughout Zhejiang province in eastern China. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Zhejiang Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom (Beijing), announced it will deploy the Cisco Systems (San Jose, CA) metro Ethernet switching products throughout Zhejiang province in eastern China. The Cisco Catalyst 6509, catalyst 4006, and...

Fiberhome Telecommunication Technologies, the third largest DWDM systems manufacturer in China, selected Highwave Optical Technologies (Lannion, France) as its supplier of next-generation intelligent amplifiers. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Fiberhome Telecommunication Technologies, the third largest DWDM systems manufacturer in China, selected Highwave Optical Technologies (Lannion, France) as its supplier of next-generation intelligent amplifiers. Under the contract, Highwave...

Lucent Technologies (Murray Hill, NJ) signed contracts with China's Jiangsu Unicorn and its subsidiary, Unicorn Horizon Mobile Telecommunications, to build advanced optical transmission networks. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Lucent Technologies (Murray Hill, NJ) signed contracts with China's Jiangsu Unicom and its subsidiary, Unicorn Horizon Mobile Telecommunications, to build advanced optical transmission networks. Under the agreements, Lucent will provide Jiangsu...

Luminous Networks. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Luminous Networks (Cupertino, CA) announced plans to double its staff in China and expand its Chinese presence beyond its current Shanghai facility by opening an office in Beijing this year. The company has been shipping its metro optical...

Signs of spring? .(Editorial)
March 1, 2003... Each year at this time, the thin-blooded among us set up watch for those early signs that winter is finally waning. By March, we in the United States have already consulted Puxatawny Phil the groundhog and reveled in the opening of spring...

Does government belong to the telecom business? A government agency finally runs itself like and for a business. (Regulation & Policy).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In Capitalism and Freedom, Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman noted the link between government and monopoly when he wrote, "[T]he most important source of monopoly power is government assistance." That was 1962. In 2002, the...

Changes to business landscape gain definition: fun will return to companies that remold the competitive battleground and their products to win the war. (Wall Street & Finance).
March 1, 2003... A sustained and broad rebound in the telecommunications market will require major changes over the next few years. Most industry observers have focused on consolidation, which will undoubtedly occur, but there are other approaches to the...

TIA/EIA-785 short-wavelength FE standard updated. (Standards Watch).
March 1, 2003... The TIA/EIA-785 standard for 100Base-SX was developed to support 10-Mbit/sec Ethernet and 100-Mbit/sec Fast Ethernet (FE) at the more economical 850-nm short-wavelength over multi-mode fiber (see Lightwave, August 2001, p. 29). Prior to the new...

Small companies can survive Chapter 11. (Trends).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In the last few years, the telecommunications industry has seen more than its share of bankruptcy filings, including some national and international networking giants. Many of these telecom companies worked with lawyers, bankers, and investors...

OFC still the place to be. (Trends).(Optical Fiber Communications Conference)
March 1, 2003... When Lightwave Online recently polled visitors about their projected conference attendance in 2003, more than 60% of the respondents admitted they would attend fewer shows this year than last year. Apparently, the Optical Fiber Communications...

Autocloning delivers photonic-crystal components: a new manufacturing technique promises to unlock the potential of photonic crystals to produce a variety of functions. (Special Reports: Passive & Active Components).
March 1, 2003... Photonic crystals (PCs) are multidimensional periodic structures with a period of submicron scale. They are promising materials for developing unique optical functions and achieving efficient integration. By choosing structural parameters such...

Homeland Security Solutions Conference & Exhibition.
March 1, 2003... We all knew that our lives would never be the same after terrorist attacks wiped out the World Trade Center in New York and left the Pentagon near Washington seriously damaged. The resulting imperative to safeguard U.S. citizens in the American...

Optical-amplifier architectures based on ultra-fast optical switches: integration of a switching component enables in-service maintenance and other applications. (Special Reports: Passive & Active Components).
March 1, 2003... The most common elements in optical networks are optical amplifiers (QAs), particularly erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). Together with DWDM technology, OAs enable high-capacity transmission in ultra-long-haul (ULH) and long-haul (LH)...

Optically enabled ICs solve problems of distance-bandwidth: crossbar switches are the latest devices to benefit from the combination of optical and electronic chips. (Special Reports: Passive & Active Components).
March 1, 2003... Increases in IC processing power have followed Moore's Law--doubling roughly every 18 months. But while the number of transistors in mainstream microprocessors has increased by 1,000 times over the last 20 years, the amount of data input and...

Multifunctionality the key in challenging instrumentation markets: with new technologies, 'multifunctional' means more than just a group of expensive modules in the same rack. (Special Reports: Passive & Active Components).
March 1, 2003... The demise of the telecommunications market has produced two challenging forces affecting manufacturers of test and measurement (T&M) and laboratory instrumentation. Capital-expenditure (capex) cutbacks by the carriers have led to a...

Controlling opex through optical technologies: introducing optical technologies into the network helps operators maintain profitable margins. (Technology & Profits: Technology for Opex Savings).(operational expenditures)
March 1, 2003... Telecommunications operators that are not committed to cost reduction simply do not exist. In today's competitive environment, cost reduction is a matter of survival. The main focus has typically been on reducing visible capital expenditures...

Maintaining average power, extinction ratio in transceivers: new techniques combined with digital resistors offer improved performance for driving lasers within SFF/SFP transceivers. (Electronics for Optics: Laser Drivers).
March 1, 2003... As the size and area of optical modules decrease, the operating temperature increases due to the close proximity of the modules in a complete system. Small-form-factor/small-form-factor pluggable (SFF/SFP) modules, for example, enable very high...

Does the U.S. have a weakening will to create? A survey of optoelectronics patents issued in the United States last year suggests that optical research doesn't begin at home. .(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... For the year ending Nov. 30, 2002, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued 951 patents that embody research in "optoelectronics." The term identifies efforts to reduce the cost of fiber links that will serve mass...

Fujitsu fulfills carriers' wishes with SONET extension platform. (Systems).(Fujitsu Network Communications FLASHWAVE 4010)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Fujitsu Network Communications (Richardson, TX) recently announced general availability of its FLASHWAVE 4010, a remote extension platform optimized for low-service offerings. While one sometimes wonders if vendors design products without first...

Cost drives innovation in OTDRs. (Tech Trends).(optical time-domain reflectometer)
March 1, 2003... During the optical heyday of 1998-2000, the folks at EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering (Quebec City) polled their customers about whether cost or functionality was more important when choosing an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR). "At the...

Compact CWDM system. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Systems).(Sorrento Networks JumpStart-400)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The JumpStart-400 compact eight-wavelength CWDM system is designed for simple network extension carrier and enterprise applications. With a small form factor, the system supports every relevant metro market protocol and is best suited for a...

MSPP interface cards. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Systems).(Cisco Systems ONS ONS 15454 Multiservice Provisioning Platform)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The ONS 15454 Multiservice Provisioning Platform's (MSPP) optical capabilities are coupled with IOS software to deliver metro Ethernet and IP solutions over a multiservice network architecture. The MSPP's ML-Series interface cards provide...

Highly dense, converged platform. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Systems).(ECI Telecom, Lightscape Networks Division XDM optical platform)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... XDM is a highly dense, converged optical platform with on-demand network scaling from the metro edge to regional core. Its highly flexible, single architecture design combines fully integrated DWDM, Ethernet, multiple SONET/SDH rings,...

PON computer-based training CD-ROM. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Systems).(The Light Brigade "Passive Optical Networks" )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The computer-based training (CBT) 200-page CD-ROM titled "Passive Optical Networks" incorporates 17 digital animations, 33 video clips, two live design exercises, and 10 self-quizzes, with chapters covering all facets of fiber-to-the-home and...

MEMS-based DGE/OCM controller. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Subsystems).(Lightconnect)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The DGE/OCM controller is an integrated subsystem that incorporates the MEMS-based dynamic gain equalizer with one high-resolution optical-channel monitor, compatible with 50-GHz channel spacing. Provided with control electronics and firmware,...

Photonic-switch module. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Systems).(OMM)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The 32x32 photonic-switch module is used in optical crossconnects, reconfigurable optical add/drops, and wavelength-selective crossconnects. With a single 5-V supply and ribbon fiber interface, it is easily incorporated into today's advanced...

Integrated 10GBase-LR transceiver. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Subsystems).(Optillion)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The 10GBase-LR fiber-optic transceiver is a highly integrated subsystem, including optoelectronic conversion, SerDes/coding sublayers, and supporting electronics. It complies with industry-standard form factors such as XENPAK and X2 and...

40-km SFF XFP transceiver. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Subsystems).(Finisar FTRX-1611-3 )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The FTRX-1611-3 40-km small-form-factor XFP optical transceiver uses a 1550-nm EML and an APD receiver and complies with 10Gbase-ER/EW (per IEEE 802.3ae) and OC-192 IR-2. It features a serial 10-Gbit/sec electrical interface (XFI) that removes...

40-Gbit/sec design kit. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Subsystems).(Da-LightCom DAL-40-PA-KIT-2P12-V)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The DAL-40-PA-KIT-2P12-V 40-Gbit/sec design kit includes two single-stage module amplifiers equipped with V connectors. Both amplifiers operate at 30 kHz to 40 GHz. One amplifier has an 14-dB gain and provides above- 3.5 [V.sub.p-p] with a...

Optical isolator. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Sumitomo Metal Mining )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Built-in POI is an optical isolator for automatic assembly of laser-diode modules. Design compatibility with both PIOI and PDOI makes it possible for module designers to standardize the isolator parts. Monolithic isolator unit and fiber...

Inline isolator. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(NEC Tokin )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The compact inline isolator--3 mm diameter, 28 mm long--is suitable for C-and L-band applications, with choice of fiber. The isolator core, consisting of a polarizer and garnet with magnet, is also suitable for SMT applications. NEC Tokin...

Mode-conditioning cables. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Pacific Interconnection)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The mode-conditioning cables are designed to eliminate the effects of differential mode delay, which can occur when a singlemode signal is launched into a multimode fiber. They're especially suitable for applications where new gigabit...

Mini power monitor. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Koncent Communication )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The real time mini power monitor for channel control in complex networks has an outside diameter of just 3.5 mm. Very compact and easy to mount on a printed circuit board for system applications, it can be incorporated into configurable optical...

SFF, LC-compatible, inline attenuator. (Attendess' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Diamond SA F-3000)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The F-3000 singlemode, small-form-factor, 1.25-mm-ferrule-based, LO-compatible, inline attenuator is available in PC and APO versions and provides precise and repeatable attenuation via a doped fiber, resulting in wavelength-independent and...

Widely tunable bandpass filter. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Jolon TFC-4050)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The TFC-4050 widely tunable optical bandpass filter provides high performance for ASE suppression, channel selection, and true dynamic optical networking. It features Intelligent Adaptive Tracking, whereby the Gaussian-shaped passband...

Crystal-based isolator array. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Oplink Communications )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The isolator array is a Telcordia-compliant, crystal-based, passive optical component available in single-stage and dual-stage versions. The multi-port isolator offers options for dual, triple, or quadruple ports on the input and output sides...

High-speed mode converter modulator. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(JGKB Photonics )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The 40-Gbit/sec mode converter modulator for high-speed optical networking employs gallium arsenide-based technology to rapidly modulate polarization states of optical-waveguide modes and convert single-polarization continuous wave laser light...

OSA engine. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(NP Photonics optical spectrum analyzer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... For integration into portable optical monitoring instruments and automated optical manufacturing equipment, the optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) engine allows test and measurement equipment designers to develop handheld instruments that have...

Compact micro splitter. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(FiberCom Optics Communication )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The compact 1x32 micro splitter module (55x55x8 mm) features high performance and flexibility. The module is available in various specifications, or it can be customized. FiberCom Optics Communication Corp., Hsin Tien, Taiwan NOMINEE NO....

MU-pluglike inline attenuator. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Hirose Electric Europe )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The MU inline attenuator (patchcord-style), with dimensions similar to the standard MU plug, increases capacity by enabling usage of all ports on multiway adapters. Total depth required is less than the combination of a build-out type plus...

10-GbE, FC, InfiniBand PHY. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(PMC-Sierra PM8355 QuadPHY II physical layer device)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The PM8355 QuadPHY II physical layer device offers a wide range of 10-Gbit/sec serial-backplane operation from 1 to 3.125 Gbits/sec, while supporting the IEEE 802.3ae 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10-GbE) standard, Fibre Channel, and InfiniBand...

Glass-sealed quartz ferrule. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Polymicro Technologies)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Featuring a glass-to-glass hermetic seal to the optical fiber, the glass-sealed quartz ferrule eliminates thermal mismatch and other sealing problems. It can be used with polarization-maintaining fiber pigtails that are sensitive to the stress...

Edgecard connector. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Delphi Connection Systems )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The edgecard-mounted fiber-optic connector--plug receptacle and backplane, with removable terminus and blind-mating or jackscrew-mating version--are available for two, four, eight, or more optical channels. It singlemode-or...

Widely tunable laser module. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Santur TL20X0)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The TL20X0 widely tunable laser module provides up to 20 mW of distributed-feedback-laser output tunable over the entire C- or L- band in a new small-form-factor, low-power-dissipation package thatexhibits excellent stability in environmental...

Integrated high-speed module. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Photline Technologies CMD-LN10/20)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The CMD-LN10/20 compact high-speed module combines in one package a broadband traveling-wave X-cut lithium niobate modulator as an optical chip and a gallium arsenide driver using PHEMT technology. For input voltage 90% vertical and horizontal...

16-channel CWDM passive mux/demux. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Tsunami MetroChannel)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The MetroChannel 16-channel coarse WDM passive multiplexer/demultiplexer module works with un-cooled lasers having wavelengths spaced 20 nm apart. The compact Telcordia-qualified module operates with singlemode fiber, independent of protocol...

LC-SC connector converter. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Adamant Kogyo)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... For fiber-to-fiber connections, the LC-SC converter includes zirconia ceramic ferrules and sleeves for high stability, repeatability, and reliability The converter comes in various connector configurations, namely LC-SC, LC-MU, MU-SC for...

Diamond polishing film. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(NTT-ME FOS-DMS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The FOS-DMS diamond polishing film comprises a polishing layer and polyester film. The polishing layer consists of uniformly deposited diamond particles held together by binder ingredients. Polishing power is excellent because of the superior...

CAN-packaged coaxial modules. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(Mitsubishi Electric TOSA and ROSA)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... High-performance TOSA (FU-185SDF) and ROSA (FU-135SPP) CAN-packaged coaxial modules for 10-Gigabit Ethernet applications have newly developed electrical signal interfaces that make "coupled differential feeds." The interface provides excellent...

Ultra-thick SOI wafer. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003 Nominees: Components).(KST World T-BOX silicon on insulator wafer)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The T-BOX silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer contains an ultra-thick buried oxide (BOX) layer (up to 20 [micro]m), making it five to 10 times thicker. The device layer can be controlled to [+ or -]0.5-[micro]m thickness tolerance. The wafer,...

Polarization-beam combiner. (Attendees' Choice awards OFC 2003: Components).(Toyokuni Electric Cable )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The 1480-nm optical polarization-beam combiner (PBC) is designed for laser pumps combining erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, interferometers, R&D, laboratory experimentation, and Raman PBCs. Toyokuni Electric Cable Co. Ltd., Tokyo NOMINEE NO....

80-km SFP GbE transceiver. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003: Components).(Sigma-Links SL4134H)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The SL4134H small-form-factor-plug-gable (SFP) LC 1550-nm optical transceiver for Gigabit Ethernet has an extended transmitting distance up to 80 km. Choice of extraction mechanism is between the slide release and user-friendly bar-lever...

Very short receptacle. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003: Components).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The very short receptacle comes in a wide range of custom designs to help miniature modules. It is also available with an isolator. Toto Ltd., Tokyo NOMINEE NO. COMP 24

Thermally stabilized MSA AWG. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003: Components).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The MSA-compatible arrayed-wave-guide-grating (AWG) module is thermally stabilized and compatible with a recently announced new multisource agreement (MSA) by Alcatel Optronics, Hitachi Cables, and NEL. The MSA defines common mechanical...

Versatile, ultra-fast switching solution. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003: Components).(Clvcom Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Free-X Family switching solution based on advanced solid-free-space technology is extremely versatile and capable of ultra-fast switching speed (250 nsec) and integrating multiple functions (variable optical attenuation and multicasting)...

DFB laser, EA driver package. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003: Components).(Okl Optical Components)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The OL5160M module is a 10-Gbit/sec electro-absorption (EA)-modulated distributed-feedback laser (EML) integrated with an EA driver IC in a compact butterfly-type package that complies with a multisource agreement defined by Sumitomo and FQD....

10-Gbit/sec, 50-GHz tunable filter. (Attendees' Choice Awards OFC 2003: Components).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The TDF50 tunable filter for 10-Gbit/sec data rates at 50-GHz channel spacing comes in two versions-- one that is suitable for applications requiring flat-top filters such as optical-channel monitoring, optical add/drop multiplexers, and...