9 July 2003 Santa Barbara, CA Lightwave -- Siemens Information and Communications Networks (ICN) has chosen Agility Communications' 3105/3106 CW Widely Tunable Laser Assembly (TLA), a high-powered 10-mW widely tunable laser that can rapidly tune to all channels in the C- and L-band, for use in its newest transponder card for optical data transmission.
Siemens ICN has selected Agility's single chip, 10-mW widely tunable laser as a component in its core product line, the Siemens' SURPASS hiT 75xx-er Series for next-generation optics. The new transponder card, introduced this year at CeBIT, supports Siemens' multifunctional DWDM system with modular and scalable architecture, which enables it to be deployed in applications ranging from regional to ultra-long haul.
Prior to the first commercially viable, solid-state widely tunable laser from Agility, transponder cards offered only fixed wavelength technology, say Agility representatives. Now, however, a single Agility tunable laser can be used to tune all C- and L-band channels for network expansion and repair replacements, saving carriers operation and inventory management costs and enabling them to offer additional services over available wavelengths.
The Agility 3105/3106 TLA is designed for use in DWDM systems where the capability to change wavelengths on demand over the entire C-band with 50-GHz spacing is essential. The 3106 TLA offers the same capabilities over the L-band. The Agility 3105/3106 is available in a 24-pin industry-standard package. The company's patented SG-DBR laser is monolithically integrated with a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) that can operate as a variable optical attenuator (VOA) to pre-emphasize output power for optimum system performance, thereby reducing system cost. The Agility 3105/3106 also incorporates a wavelength locker, beam blanking to eliminate spurious emissions during switching, and self-contained microprocessor control and monitoring of electronics.