Bandwidth9 to develop MetroFlex tunable optical filters
Capitalizing on the company's pioneered Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology and patented tunable filter architecture, Bandwidth9 will expand its MetroFlex line of optical products to include the filter modules to serve the growing industry demand for tunable optical solutions. Availability of the MetroFlex filter products is expected to be fourth quarter of this year.
Upon development, the MetroFlex tunable filters will provide equipment manufacturers and telecommunications carriers a highly sought after solution for remotely and dynamically controlling the reception of optical information within DWDM Metro networks.
Based upon the variety of architectures that service providers are targeting for DWDM Metro networks, Bandwidth9 estimates that tunable filters will have market quantities at least equal to tunable lasers.
Hatch Graham, Bandwidth9's chairman and CEO states, "Customers of Bandwidth9's tunable transmitter and filter technologies will be rewarded with architectures that revolutionize the delivery of their services. The combination of both functions will create affordable next-generation architectures, such as completely tunable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer subsystems capable of OC-48 rates and beyond."
Bandwidth9 has tested the characteristics of its patented Micro-Electrical-Mechanical-Structure (MEMS) tuning technology in a filter configuration to variably control the reflection of unselected wavelengths, while simultaneously allowing a selected wavelength to pass through the device and thereby be received.
Bandwidth9's unique VCSEL/MEMS tuning technology presents an advantage over alternative approaches, such as edge-emitting distributed feedback lasers, which cannot be similarly used to receive optical wavelengths.
The MetroFlex family of products promises to be the lowest cost tunable transmission products available. Dr. Michael Jansen, Bandwith9's vice president of core technology said, "An underlying benefit to our customers will be Bandwidth9's ability to produce both tunable lasers and tunable filters, using similar manufacturing processes and infrastructure, thereby creating optimum, cost effective deployment."
The MetroFlex line of variable wavelength, optical filter modules, will be the first MEMS-based filter subsystems that enable remote provisioning and dynamic assignment of protocol-transparent wavelengths in Metro area optical networks.
The modules will incorporate all of the necessary optical components to remotely tune the MEMS-based filter, stabilize and lock the filtered light source, and provide an output of the detected signal. In addition, all of the necessary line drivers, micro-controller, and other circuitry will be incorporated within the small package.
Like the transmitter products, MetroFlex tunable filter subsystems will operate in the C-Band and L-Band frequency ranges. Samples of the MetroFlex optical transmitter products are now shipping for pre-production use by selected customers.
About Bandwidth9, Inc.
Bandwidth9, a privately held company, headquartered in Fremont, California, is a designer and manufacturer of tunable optical transmission components and sub-systems for Metro telecommunications.
The products are based on the company's Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and optical Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Structure (MEMS) technologies. VCSEL technology enables the company to "pre-screen" its devices in wafer scale, prior to expending the substantial costs of manufacturing required in alternative approaches.
The company's mission is to develop cost-effective, next generation optical products and technologies that enable widespread deployment of solutions within Metro area networks. Additional information about Bandwidth9 is available on the web at www.bw9.com.