SDL Teams With Alcatel For Submarine 980-nm Pump Lasers

Diode laser specialist SDL Inc. and telecommunications giant Alcatel have announced a joint venture to deliver high-power 980-nm pump modules for deployment in the latest generation of undersea communications networks. SDL will supply laser chips to Alcatel's Optronic Division, which will integrate them into wavelength-stabilized pump modules for undersea wavelength-division multiplexing applications.

Alcatel and SDL have worked closely for more than a year to ensure that the performance and reliability of these modules meet or exceed the requirements of the latest generation of undersea fiber optic networks. The culmination of this cooperative effort was an exclusive four-year agreement between Alcatel and SDL for the supply of 980 nm laser chips for use in pump modules for underseas markets. A production ramp in the first quarter of 1999 is underway.