MILPITAS, Calif. -- Lightwaves2020, an innovative leader in the design and manufacture of fiber optic components, announces that its ultra-compact EDFA, which was introduced into the market nine months ago, has successfully completed field trials and is now being deployed by several customers for use in optical cross-connects, local access WDM networks, instrumentation and military/aerospace data link applications. Customer response has been overwhelmingly positive, with most reporting that they have found the ultra-compact EDFA to be a cost effective, high-performance alternative to Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOA), its main rival in the abovementioned markets.

Well-known for its compact butterfly package, SOA has, until now, been the favored technology in space demanding single channel applications. However, Lightwaves2020’s ultra-compact EDFA has been designed with a comparable footprint and performance profile. In fact, in a direct comparison carried out by Lightwaves2020 to quantify this success, the ultra-compact EDFA handily outperformed SOA in every category in which they were compared, and stood up favorably to SOA in terms of cost and efficiency. In addition, SOA is still facing several key problems associated with that technology that limits its performance: gain fluctuation and multi-channel interference restrict SOA’s application mainly to single channel amplification; achieving good return loss and noise figures performance is impossible without using external isolators; and polarization sensitive characteristics dramatically reduce SOA’s reliability. Lightwaves2020’s ultra-compact EDFA does not share these limitations. In the small package, it incorporates optical isolators, optical power monitors and control circuits, which cannot be integrated into the SOA package. These additions dramatically improve the optical performance of the EDFA.

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The ultra-compact EDFA’s small footprint, which measures just 50x30x8mm, is made possible through a dramatically simplified structure accomplished through proprietary hybrid component integration and the use of reduced-cladding fiber for reliable performance. In addition, the un-cooled pump dramatically reduces power consumption, and thereby operational costs, while maintaining thermal stability. The vertically integrated technology used in the ultra-compact EDFA also helps to reduce its cost to under $1000, which SOA’s suppliers claim as well but are still struggling to achieve.

Due to high coupling efficiency, the ultra-compact EDFA has high output power and high sensitivity to weak signals, which makes it suitable for a wide range of applications. As the most efficient platform in the 1550nm-band, standard EDFA already dominates high capacity and high-speed optical networks. Lightwaves2020’s ultra-compact EDFA helps to gain a strong foothold in the markets traditionally dominated by SOA. Furthermore, the ultra-compact EDFA can be easily converted into a high power, compact and reliable ASE source, which has substantial applications for missiles and medical instruments. It is highly recommended that fiber optic system developers reevaluate the technologies that they are currently using and consider embracing Lightwaves2020s ultra-compact EDFA.

Lightwaves2020 Inc.