02/24/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/23/2023 20:06
February 24, 2023
Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Head office: 2-6-4 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Keiichi Kobayashi) has expanded the product lineup with the development of a new ultra-small, narrow linewidth tunable light source that supports the super C-band and L-band in addition to the current C-band. A tunable light source is a laser light source product that is used in digital coherent communications (Nano-ITLA, Fig. 1).
Due in part to increased smartphone use, cloud computing and video streaming in recent years, data traffic on the mainline communications networks and between data centers is growing around the world, and with the advent of 5G, this traffic is expected to dramatically increase even further. In order to support this increased data traffic, ultra-high speed transmission systems using optical digital coherent technology are being installed. Going forward, it is expected that Post-5G service will be introduced, and since Post-5G requires greatly larger volumes of data than 5G, it will be necessary to increase the capacity of the medium to long-range optical communications networks. However, as transmission speed increases, the required bandwidth per channel exceeds the current 50GHz span. Since this trend will reduce the number of available channels, consideration is underway toward expanding the overall bandwidth.
Utilizing Furukawa's laser manufacturing technology accumulated over the past 20 years, including crystal growth and precision optical semiconductor processing, we optimized the waveguide design, and it was possible to extend the bandwidth of the Nano-ITLA. In addition to the current C-band: 191.300-196.100THz (4.8THz width), the newly developed Nano-ITLA supports the super C-band: 190.675-196.675THz (6THz width) and also the L-band: 186.350-190.700THz (4.35THz width) (Fig. 2 & Table 1). This development will contribute to the realization of ultra-high speed transmission systems for medium to long-range optical communications networks.
Fig. 1 Nano-ITLA
Fig. 2 Spectral characteristics of the super C-band and L-band
Existing product (C-band) |
Newly developed product (Super C-band) |
Newly developed product (L-band) |
|
Frequency range (THz) | 191.300 - 196.100 | 190.675 - 196.675 | 186.350 - 190.700 |
Optical output strength (dBm) | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Linewidth (kHz) | <150 | ||
Wavelength stability (GHz) | <±1.5 | ||
Power consumption (W) | 3.7 | ||
Dimensions (mm) | 25(L)×15.6(W)×5.7(H) |
We will exhibit this new product at OFS 2023 scheduled to be held on March 7-9, 2023 in San Diego (OFS Fitel, LLC booth; Booth number 3229).
Based on the "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" adopted by the United Nations, Furukawa Electric Group has formulated the "Furukawa Electric Group Vision 2030" which sets the year 2030 as its target and is advancing efforts with the aim to "Build a sustainable world and make people's life safe, peaceful and rewarding, Furukawa Electric Group will create solutions for the new generation of global infrastructure combining information, energy and mobility." Toward the achievement of our Vision 2030, we will take open, agile, and innovative approaches to promote ESG management that aims to increase corporate value over the medium to long term and will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.