DiCon Intros Monitor

RICHMOND, Calif. -- DiCon Fiberoptics, Inc. announces an Optical Channel Performance Monitor (OCPM) based on the company’s recently introduced MEMS Tunable Filters and its industry-leading MEMS 1xN switches. This new product is one more addition to DiCon’s growing family of Reconfigurable Network Elements.

Building on a common platform, DiCon’s OCPM offers customizable configurations. The MEMS Tunable Filter is at the core of the design and can be matched with a range of components. MEMS 1xN switches, photo detectors, and FBT splitters are optional items that can be added for increased functionalities. The OCPM has a compact form factor of 75 mm x 100 mm x 12.1 mm. It sweeps quickly over a 35 nm range with extremely consistent and repeatable performance. The resolution is adjustable, as fine as 0.01 nm (that’s 3,500 data points) step size can be achieved, providing users the options of quick viewing or detailed scanning of the network. Different filter spectral shapes are available to give system integrators another degree of design freedom. For applications requiring accurate OSNR readings, a narrow spectrum can be chosen to provide good signal isolation. For situations where precise power reading on a chirping wavelength is desired, a wider spectrum can be selected to allow the capturing of the fluctuating channel.

By using DiCon’s MEMS Tunable Filter and 1xN switch, this new OCPM is both reliable and cost effective. In long-term toggling tests, DiCon’s MEMS chips continue to operate perfectly beyond 3,000,000,000 (three billion) cycles. This unique strength makes MEMS the ideal technology for continuous scanning applications. Since the use of the MEMS Tunable Filter allows for the collection of multiple data points using a single photo detector, and the use of the MEMS 1xN switch allows the OCPM to be shared over as many as 12 physical ports, DiCon's OCPM represents an extremely economical solution when multiple multi-wavelength fibers must be monitored at a single node.

“Our MEMS 1xN switch has been used for scanning applications for several years,” says Dr. Ho-Shang Lee, DiCon’s CEO. “ With the timely release of the MEMS Tunable Filter, we offer a high performing, reliable, and inexpensive solution for monitoring the increasingly complex mesh optical network.”

DiCon Fiberoptics Inc.