DiCon Shrinks ROADMs

RICHMOND, Calif. -- DiCon Fiberoptics, Inc introduces an ultra-compact 1-CH MEMS ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer). This unique product demonstrates the strength of DiCon’s fiberoptic MEMS capability and the company’s commitment to delivering cost effective wavelength management solutions for tomorrow’s reconfigurable optical network.

Packaged in the same 25 mm x 16 mm x 8.5 mm rectangular housing as DiCon’s MEMS switch components, the 1-CH MEMS ROADM has the smallest form factor on the market. With insertion loss less than 0.9 dB for the CWDM version, it offers industry-leading performance. DiCon’s MEMS technology offers proven reliability and durability. In long-term toggling tests, DiCon’s MEMS chips continue to operate perfectly beyond 3,000,000,000 (three billion) cycles.

The 1-CH MEMS ROADM is based on DiCon’s proprietary Thin Film Coating and MEMS technologies. A MEMS Mirror is combined with a customized thin film filter to form a component that de-multiplexes a fixed wavelength, provides add/drop switching, and then multiplexes that wavelength back with the rest of the channels. This innovative device has 6 ports. All traffic enters and leaves through the “Input” and “Output” ports. The two reconfigurable “Add” and “Drop” ports are used for the selected wavelength while the “Express-out” and “Express-in” ports allow for the exit and entry of non-selected channels. The express ports also provide the option to add/drop multiple channels at a node by cascading components of different wavelengths.

This product was developed for both commercial and military/defense markets. For commercial customers where cost is a primary driver, the 1-CH MEMS ROADM has a cost structure similar to that of a MEMS switch component, without the additional cost of separately packaged filters. The modular channel approach allows customers to grow their implementation one wavelength at a time, for true pay-as-you-go scalability. The 1-CH MEMS ROADM is also the best choice for military/defense applications, where reliability, size, weight, power consumption, and customization flexibility are also important requirements. The 1-CH MEMS ROADM joins DiCon’s family of small channel count ROADMs, offering optional VOA capabilities for channel counts up to 8.

DiCon Fiberoptics Inc.