BATH, U.K. -- Meeting the demand for high performance, low cost optical components, Northlight Optronics' APD receiver optical subassembly (ROSA) is intended for small form factor transceivers and transponders such as XFP, X2 and Xenpak. The high performance APD ROSA offers OEMs a product whose price/performance ratio is not achieved by any other non-captive, sub-component vendor.

Extending and strengthening its 10Gbps product offering, the APD ROSA module incorporates Northlight Optronics' proprietary InGaAs avalanche photo diode (APD) with a low noise trans-impedance preamplifier (TIA). Housed in a small diameter coaxial package, the receiver is designed to convert optical signals to electrical signals with high sensitivity and with excellent overload characteristics.

The receiver allows simplified integration into small form factor XFP and other transponders and receivers and will also be very attractive to OEMs aiming to reduce the production costs of existing PCB designs. Application areas include 10Gbps SDH/STM-64 long haul systems, 10Gbps SONET OC-192 long reach equipment, and 10Gigabit Ethernet applications.

The APD ROSA is available with an LC or SC receptacle, alternatively a fiber-tail, with designated product numbers being PGR20410, PGR20418 and PGR20419 respectively. All receiver options guarantee an optical return loss of >27dB. The ROSA's differential electrical output can be interfaced to a printed circuit board using traditional leads or with an optional flex foil.

Simplifying heat dissipation management, power consumption for the receiver is just 0.15W at 3.3V. Making it easy to interface with a PCB with low crosstalk, the receiver offers a differential coplanar output with high, 9000V/A gain. The ROSA features high, -24dBm EOL sensitivity and a -5dBm EOL overload figure. These characteristics facilitate ease of design with good margins.

Northlight Optronics' coaxial 10G APD ROSA is a high performance product not yet available from any other manufacturer on the open market. Northlight is exhibiting at ECOC 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden where this product can be seen at stand number 103.

Northlight Optronics AB