Omni Wavelength Laboratories OWL manufactures a complete line of fiber optic test equipment for a wide range of applications, including telco, WAN, MAN, LAN, SAN, CATV, IT, manufacturing, and laboratory. Optical Wavelength Laboratories, Inc. Omni Wavelength Laboratories: OWL manufactures a complete line of fiber optic test equipment for a wide range of applications, including telco, WAN, MAN, LAN, SAN, CATV, IT, manufacturing, and laboratory. Optical Wavelength Laboratories (OWL) fiber optic test equipment is accurate, user-friendly and calibrated to popular industry wavelengths. The models that include a temperature controller are indicated under the LD & TC header. For a complete explanation of laser diode driver package, size, and mounting option comparisons, download the Selector Guide. For low noise operation (constant current mode only), our QCL drivers. Optical Wavelength Laboratories. ZOOM II Singlemode Test Kit (ST or SC connector) KIT-Z2-L2xx List Price: $970.00 Our Price: $733.32 Connector Type: Qty.: ZOOM II, Dual OWL, Laser OWL, Singlemode & Multimode Fiber Test Kit.
Acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF) are used to rapidly and dynamically select a specific wavelength from a broadband or multi-line laser source. As the applied RF frequency is varied, the transmitted wavelength changes, “tuning” the wavelength of the beam or image in tens of microseconds or less.
We offer an extensive line of AOTFs for wavelength regions from the UV through mid-IR, with resolution bandwidths of less than 1nm. We also offer options such as large-aperture imaging filtering and sideband suppression. Fiber-coupled AOTF devices are available upon request.In an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF), an RF drive frequency is applied to an acousto-optic material such as tellurium dioxide (TeO2) to create a diffraction grating in which the refractive index of the crystal varies with position. As a coherent optical beam passes through the crystal, only a narrow band of frequencies will interfere constructively (i.e., meet the phase-matching condition) and be transmitted efficiently to exit the crystal at an angle that differs from the undiffracted beam.
The selective diffraction of light with wavelength allows the crystal to act as a tunable bandpass filter. As the RF drive frequency is varied, the center wavelength of the narrow passband changes. The primary advantage of an acousto-optic tunable filter over other wavelength selection devices is speed. Wavelength tuning can be accomplished in tens of microseconds.
Factors that influence choice of an acousto-optic tunable filter include:
- Wavelength range
- Resolution bandwidth (reported as the spectral FWHM for the transmitted beam)
- Beam size or active aperture needed
- Degree of beam collimation
- Desired tuning speed
- Polarization (we recommend polarized light for best efficiency)
Most applications of AOTFs involve filtering of light from a broadband source, such as a supercontinuum fiber laser, or selecting a single wavelength from a combined beam of multiple laser wavelengths.
AOTFs with apertures less than 6 mm are typically used that have less than tens of nm of resolution bandwidth at NIR wavelengths and less than ten nm at visible wavelengths. We also offer a quasi-collinear AOTF which can deliver < 1 nm resolution bandwidth if operated with highly collimated light.
AOTFs with larger apertures (> 6 mm) are a powerful tool for spectral imaging, rapidly and efficiently scanning an entire image in wavelength. This is of use in high-speed applications like hyperspectral imaging, confocal microscopy, and on-line process control. The cost of AOTFs increases significantly for very large apertures, but they deliver unmatched speed for time-sensitive multispectral measurements in industry and biotech, approaching real-time video rate spectral imaging.Our acousto-optic tunable filters are manufactured using high quality TeO2 crystals grown in-house, polished and fabricated to rigorous standards. We offer wavelengths from 350 nm to 4.4 µm in a wide variety of apertures and resolution bandwidths.
We can filter images up to 25 mm across, meet exceptionally low driver power requirements, or design an AOTF to select and transmit multiple discrete wavelengths.
Acousto-optic tunable filters often exhibit light leakage outside the resolution bandwidth of interest, typically at 10-20 dB below peak power. This is due to the response function of the AOTF itself, but can be minimized using our patented techniques. We offer sideband suppression in several models, reducing out of band side lobes by greater than 20 dB relative to the primary beam.
Our AOTF product family includes application-specific solutions for illumination or excitation wavelength selection, as well as multispectral or hyperspectral imaging. For best performance, we recommend a matched RF driver, including the latest digital frequency synthesizer (DFS) driver technology and random access wavelength control.
Applications of acousto-optic tunable filters
Confocal microscopy, fluorescence imaging, hyperspectral imaging, imaging spectroscopy, laser wavelength tuning, on-line process control, spectroscopy, wavelength selection
Specification sets the stage for advances in artificial intelligence, data center efficiency, and other advanced applications of optical interconnect
Santa Clara, California – June 24, 2020 – The CW-WDM MSA (Continuous-Wave Wavelength Division Multiplexing Multi-Source Agreement) Group today announced its formation as an industry consortium dedicated to defining and promoting specifications for multi-wavelength advanced integrated optics.
IEEE and MSA standards specify four WDM interfaces for today’s high volume datacom optics. Emerging advanced integrated optics applications, such as silicon photonics (SiPh) based high-density co-packaged optics, optical computing, and AI, are expected to move to 8, 16, and 32 wavelengths. Standardizing higher wavelength counts is a crucial part of an emerging ecosystem which is enabling a leap in efficiency, cost, and bandwidth scaling compared to current technology. Increasing the number of wavelengths, while staying in the O-band and aligning with ITU and IEEE standards, allows developers and suppliers to leverage their strategic investments in the current generation of optical products to accelerate time to market of next generation products.
“We support and encourage consortiums like the CW-WDM MSA Group in order to accelerate important technical innovations,” said Christopher Berner, Head of Compute at OpenAI. “OpenAI must be on the cutting edge of AI capabilities and low latency, high bandwidth optical interconnect is a central piece of our compute strategy to achieve our mission of delivering artificial intelligence technology that benefits all of humanity.”
The CW-WDM MSA is different from optical communication standards groups in that it solely focuses on specifying the laser source instead of the full communications link, and is not targeted at any specific application. Such an approach allows developers to fully optimize optics to their customers’ requirements without interoperability constraints while simultaneously creating a large business opportunity for laser source suppliers.
“Laser sources have been the critical building block of fiber optic communications, and standardizing their specifications has been key to the success of telecom and datacom optics,” said Chris Cole, Chair of the CW-WDM MSA. “ITU-T established complete baselines for DWDM and CWDM grids. The IEEE then specified subsets of these grids for high volume data center applications, starting with 40G and 100G Ethernet optics. The CW-WDM MSA will similarly leverage ITU-T and IEEE standards to specify 8, 16 and 32 wavelength grids in O-band for emerging advanced datacom and computing optics. With the definition of multiple grid sets, the MSA will enable developers to choose what is optimum for their application, while allowing laser suppliers to only have to invest in one technology platform.”
Promoter Members of the CW-WDM MSA are Arista Networks, Ayar Labs, CST Global, imec, Intel, Lumentum, Luminous Computing, MACOM, Quintessent, Sumitomo Electric, and II-VI.
In addition, several Observer Members have signed on to be briefed on the development of the standard to enable early technology development based on the new specifications. Observer Members are AMF, Axalume, Broadcom, Coherent Solutions, Furukawa Electric, GlobalFoundries, Keysight Technologies, NeoPhotonics, NVIDIA, Samtec, Scintil Photonics, and Tektronix.
For more information about the CW-WDM MSA, please visit cw-wdm.org
Industry Statements of Support:
Christophe Metivier, VP, Manufacturing and Platform Engineering, Arista Networks
“Scaling network bandwidth while reducing power per bit is a critical issue for hyperscale data centers. We support the goals of this MSA to standardize wavelength grids for next-generation multi-channel optics transceivers that will have significantly lower power per bit.”
Charlie Wuischpard, CEO, Ayar Labs
“To meet the ever-increasing bandwidth demands of HPC, AI and telecom applications, integrated optical I/O will become a necessity. To achieve the required bandwidth density and energy efficiency for these new applications, a new set of optical standards is a vital piece of the puzzle to strengthen the ecosystem and supply chain for this technology to become a reality.”
John E. Johnson, Ph.D., Director, III-V Component R&D, Optical Systems Division, Broadcom
“Parallel optical architectures will benefit greatly from newly developed WDM grids optimized specifically for the density and scalability of silicon photonics optical engines. We are excited to apply our long history of ultra-reliable high-power CW and WDM laser design and production to the CW-WDM MSA objective and participate in the scaling of parallel compute.”
Andrew McKee, CTO, CST Global
“As a foundry, the standardization of optical components is critical to ultimately providing high volume, low cost solutions. Using our InP100 commercial laser platform, this MSA will enable us to provide next generation DFB lasers to our customers in a much more standardized fashion, thereby eliminating the high levels of often complex customization that we see today.”
Joris Van Campenhout, Program Director of Optical I/O, imec
“At imec, we believe that wavelength division multiplexing with high channel count is a key enabler for reaping the full benefits of silicon photonics in many application domains. However, every silicon photonics device needs a light source, and we are excited to work with all members in the CW-WDM MSA to help in standardizing multi-wavelength lasers that will propel next-generation silicon photonics.”
Balaji Iyer, VP of Business Development, Luminous Computing
“Optics is playing a more substantial and significant role in computing systems. This MSA provides the first step in coordinating the industry towards a new paradigm, and Luminous is excited to be leading the way along with our partners.”
Jessen Wehrwein, VP, Corporate Marketing, MACOM
“Cost-effective, multi-wavelength WDM links are poised to enable very high bandwidth interfaces that can address the increased global bandwidth requirement. CW laser source along with silicon photonics can lead to co-packaged optics that are energy efficient and lower in cost and more scalable than discrete components. MACOM is excited to be part of the CW-WDM MSA and further support the industry with our leadership in laser development and fabrication.”
Henning Lysdal, VP, Photonics Architecture, NVIDIA
“NVIDIA sees the data center as the new basic unit of computing, and we welcome increased focus on optimizing CW lasers for this application.”
Drivers Optical Wavelength Laboratories Locations
Brian Koch, VP of Technology, Quintessent:
“Quintessent is pleased to support the CW-WDM MSA as a Promoter Member. We look forward to helping enable the evolving and emerging applications that will require multi-wavelength sources.”
Kenneth Jackson, Product Marketing Director, Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations USA
“Sumitomo Electric is pleased to be a Promoter Member of the CW-WDM MSA. The definition of frequency grids in the 1310nm wavelength range similar to what exists at 1550nm wavelengths will enable the next generation of high data-throughput optical communications links for high performance computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Our expertise in Indium Phosphide semiconductor processing and device fabrication will allow us to provide optimal solutions for our customers.”
Charles Roxlo, VP, InP Devices BU, II-VI Incorporated
“It’s our pleasure to support the CW-WDM MSA as a Promoter Member. The use of an expanded set of wavelengths in high-performance computing and other networking applications will enable higher-capacity optical interconnects. With a long history of shipping InP-based laser devices, we are looking forward to helping develop this new specification.”
————————————————————————————-
Media Contact:
Drivers Optical Wavelength Laboratories Definition
Kristine Raabe, Ayar Labs
info@cw-wdm.org