JANUARY 4, 2010 -- NEL, Hitachi Cable, Gemfire, Furukawa Electric, JDSU, and NeoPhotonics -- all of which use planar lightwave circuit (PLC) technology for passive components development -- have announced an enhanced multi-source agreement (MSA) that provides a standardized form factor for arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) modules with an athermal configuration.
Athermal AWGs provide multiplexing and demultiplexing for DWDM optical equipment through a common interface. The athermal design compensates for temperature passively and requires no electrical power, reducing overall system power requirements.
The MSA is designed to enable equipment manufacturers to choose from multiple suppliers for the standardized product, helping to reduce lead times and cost in equipment design. Version 3.0 of the MSA has been published and contains descriptions of the standard, small form factor, and athermal AWG packages.
“The athermal AWG MSA helps solutions providers like JDSU supply cost-effective products to network equipment manufacturers,” said Ben Hua, product line manager in the CCOP business segment at JDSU. “It will also help system designers save on electrical power and extend the athermal AWG application into new areas where there is no electrical power.”
“Athermal AWGs are attractive and cost-effective due to the elimination of the power supply control. Hitachi Cable expects the newly created MSA standard will accelerate the worldwide deployment of DWDM-based optical network systems,” said Tomohisa Henmi, general manager of the Optical Transmission Components and Equipment Dept. of Hitachi Cable.
The AWG MSA group is an open forum and welcomes applications from AWG manufacturers that wish to join.
Visit the AWG MSA website