March 14, 2003--NEC Corp. has integrated Genoa Corp.'s new, second-generation, single-chip linear optical amplifier (LOA) into a new 10-Gbit/sec optical transponder module for network applications. The new transponder, which allows long-reach applications to 80 km, is also being announced today.
The LOA, designated the G231, is provided to optical device OEMs such as NEC in a chip-on-submount configuration, rather than as a packaged part. The G231 amplifier, which on its submount is comparable in size to a grain of rice, also features a doubling in output power over first-generation LOAs, Genoa claims.
"Our 10-Gbit EML has the highest power ever available in such a part by 10 dB," according to Yoshihiro Uda, assistant general manager of NEC's fiber optic device division. "Not only does that enable us to offer long-reach transponders capable of 80 km, but also to do so with 20% less power consumption, 50% smaller size, and a drastic cost reduction. This would not have been possible without a truly linear optical amplifier chip capable of being directly integrated into our modules."
The Genoa G231 LOA is available immediately to other OEMs, the company says. The device measures 5x1x0.5 mm and offers 13-dBm output power and accommodates data rates up to and beyond 40 Gbits/sec. As with all linear optical amplifiers, it handles any data rate and multiple wavelengths without crosstalk, and operates in switched networks without gain transients, the company claims.