New laser tackles optical-network speeds

17 Jun 2002

Conventional tunable lasers have met their match with the latest laser from Blue Sky Research.

The US-based optical-component manufacturer has designed tunable lasers that generate a high optical output power over a wide tuning range, with non-mechanical tuning and simple control circuitry. They are claimed to have faster switching speeds and greater temperature stabilities than conventional tunable lasers.

"We've taken a novel approach to solving the engineering challenges of tunable lasers," said Dan Hu, president and chief executive of Blue Sky Research. "By using an ingeniously straightforward design, we have produced a laser that combines a wide-tuning range, a narrow channel spacing and wavelength stability with power and reliability."

Based on a high-power external-cavity structure and a temperature-stable micro-etalon wavelength locker, the laser has switching speeds in the microsecond to nanosecond range. Narrow band tuning allows a channel spacing of as little as 50 GHz, and the laser is available for use in either dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing network configurations, or as an alternative to fixed-wavelength laser sources.