Optoplex offers Scanning-Lock filter

Fiber Optics Weekly Update, June 20, 2003

Optoplex Corp. announced that it has developed the Scanning-Lock filter. This product addresses applications that require noise-suppression of a light system and is aimed at automated production testing of transponders (transceivers or lasers), especially tunable transponders, used for optical communication networks. With optical transport technology being pushed towards the edges of the networks, the demand and the production of transponders will dramatically increase. The Scanning Lock filter will bring tremendous benefit to transponder production.

To effectively accomplish the rigorous bit-error rate test (BERT) of a transponder under the presence of optical noise, the light must first pass through a narrow-band filter before it is sent to the test equipment. Otherwise, undesired optical noise will deteriorate the results of BERT. Currently, such testing of transponders at the manufacturing level is complex and labor intensive. Usually an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) is used to first scan the spectrum to determine the peak wavelength of the light source, and then a fixed filter (chosen from an array of different filters) is manually inserted in the optical path to remove the undesired noise sources. In today's low-volume production where one testing station needs to handle multiple products with varying wavelength, a technology which can automate transponder testing is very attractive.

Optoplex's Scanning-Lock filter automates the process and solves all identified issues but at a fraction of the cost. Upon receiving a GUI command, the Scanning-Lock filter automatically scans over the spectrum to determine the peak intensity and then stops such that the filter centers itself spectrally around the transmitter beam to minimize signal distortions. With the correct filter profile most of the outside spectral noise would be eliminated automatically. This locking routine can be programmed to operate continuously so that no frequency stabilization of the transmitter is required during the testing. This new product allows automated testing of transponders, which significantly simplifies the testing procedures, shortens the production cycle time and provides major cost reductions.

The Scanning-Lock filter is based on Optoplex's patented tunable filter platform (which has been used in its tunable optical add/drop multiplexer (TOADM) and optical performance monitor (OPM)).