DuPont Photonics Introduces iOXC 888 Integrated 8x8 Optical Switch

Allows for power monitoring and automatic channel balancing

Wilmington, MA -- DuPont Photonics Technologies has introduced the iOXC 888 optical component, which allows for hitless and strictly non-blocking 8x8 switching, power monitoring, and automatic channel balancing. The cost-effective iOXC 888 is ideal for use in intelligent optical cross-connects, reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers, and other agile optical networking elements.

Based on DuPont's proven library of optical building blocks, the iOXC 888 integrates an 8x8 optical switch with eight power taps and eight variable optical attenuators at output ports on a single chip with planar lightwave circuit. The chip is hermetically packaged to provide excellent reliability. The iOXC 888 operates across C and L bands with low insertion loss, low polarization dependent loss, low temperature dependent loss, low wavelength dependent loss, and low power consumption. Moreover, DuPont's practical integration significantly reduces the iOXC 888's size as well as cost.

"By integrating taps and VOAs with an 8x8 switch on a single chip, we are able to offer our customers dramatic savings in both component cost and space," said Chuck Xu, VP of marketing and business development at DuPont Photonics. "The integrated iOXC 888 also significantly reduces our customer"s costs associated with assembly of bulky discrete components and complex fiber management."

DuPont is currently shipping repeat orders in engineering volumes. Live demonstrations of the product will be conducted in DuPont's booth (#1211) at OFC 2004 in February 2004 in Los Angeles.

Source: DuPont