- 22 September 2006 -

Bookham iTLA underpins next generation tunable technology - European debut for fully qualified iTLA at ECOC 2006

Bookham, Inc. was amongst the leaders in laser components making major product launches at ECOC. It announced that its integrable tunable laser assembly (iTLA) is now fully qualified and in full volume production from the company’s manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China. The product, which will be featured at ECOC next week, is also underpinning the next generation of tunable technology with its incorporation into two ground-breaking new products.

The Bookham DS-DBR technology is forming the building block for two new products, both of which are believed to be the first of their kind in the world. The Bookham wideband tunable transmitter assembly module (TTA) is aimed at long haul and regional metro applications and co-packages the LambdaFLEXTM wideband tunable laser with an InP Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulator to provide transmitter functionality in a cost-effective, small, iTLA-sized footprint package.



Bookham is driving the TTA through the OIF to set a new market standard for tunable technology. The tunable DS-DBR and InP MZ technology are also being incorporated into a small form factor (SFF) 300pin Wideband Tunable Transponder.

“Tunability is vital in providing the flexibility and scalability needed to ensure that networks can cope with increasing demand, both today and in the future,” said Adam Price, Director, Product Line Management at Bookham. “Bookham pioneered tunable technology with its monolithic DS-DBR laser and is now continuing that tradition of innovation with the iTLA and the next generation of tunable technology. To make tunability a viable, cost-effective option for vendors, Bookham has invested in its proven high volume manufacturing capability, particularly at the company’s Shenzhen site.”

The current LamdaFLEXTM iTLA is a high performance continuous wave (CW) tunable laser source for use in the C-band window from 1528m to 1563nm. Based on the OIF MSA outline, the laser and control electronics are pre-mounted on a dedicated circuit board to ensure that customers can integrate it with their systems as quickly as possible. The product also provides a number of market-leading functions, such as low line width, internal SBS dither generation, direct input path for trace tone functionality and field programmable firmware. Such features provide the flexibility required for next generation optical networks, particularly where extended reaches are becoming more common.

The LambdaFLEXTM portfolio is based on the Bookham fully qualified tunable laser chip. Unlike many other tunable lasers, the Bookham core tunable technology is built on a monolithic structure with no moving parts. This enables very fast tuning times and ensures excellent reliability, comparable to that offered by legacy DFB lasers. It also brings cost-effective wideband tunability to long haul and regional metro applications.

The European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication (ECOC) is taking place at the Palais des Festivals & des Congres in Cannes between the 24th and 28th September. ECOC is the second largest event of its kind in the world.

For more information please visit www.ecoc2006.org.

More information on Bookham, Inc. is available at www.bookham.com