ANNAPOLIS JUNCTION, Md. -- Little Optics, Inc., an inventor of a patented glass high-index optical waveguide material system, HydexTM, for planar lightwave circuit (PLC) fabrication, announced today the availability of low-profile tunable filter modules designed for convenient integration into circuit packs or rack mounted enclosures. The tunable filter PLC chip is based on proprietary microring resonators developed by Little Optics, and draws upon a number of discrete optical elements from Little Optics' optical ASIC library including integrated switches and polarization beam splitters/combiners. A variable optical attenuator is monolithically integrated into the chip. The device requires no free space optics or moving parts. The resulting filter shapes are flat-top with high roll-off characteristics making them ideal for DWDM applications. As the tunable filter circuit chips are compact in size (i.e. ~ 1 cm2), the process can be scaled to support emerging production requirements.

The PLC chip is integrated into the module, which includes all control and drive electronics. The module supports OIF standards for tunable device physical and transport layers. Firmware is provided with the device for wavelength selection and stabilization. The devices are calibrated to allow tuning accuracy to within +/- 0.5 GHz of ITU grid points. An RS-232 connection is provided for device communication; Little Optics will support other interface standards such as SPI or I2C. Graphical user interface software is provided for device control. Little Optics has designed the module to be low profile (< 13 mm) in order to fit into industry standard ½ inch racks. The module is designed for compliance with Telcordia 1209 and 1221 environmental and reliability standards.

Little Optics Inc.