Tuesday August 3, 8:05 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: SDL, Inc.
SDL and Alcatel Complete Reliability Testing of New High Performance 980nm Modules For Undersea Communications Networks
The New Modules Will Enable Increasing Use of DWDM To Expand Telecommunications and Internet Traffic Bandwidth
SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- SDL, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDLI - news) and the Alcatel optronics activity, both leaders in components supply for DWDM undersea transmission systems, recently completed a joint collaboration on the performance and reliability of grating-stabilized 980 nm pump modules used to pump amplifiers for undersea deployment. The two companies initiated this project in 1998 and recently presented the results at the Tenth Topical Meeting on Optical Amplifiers and Their Applications in Nara, Japan. SDL is now in production and quickly ramping capacity to supply the 980 nm chips and fiber Bragg gratings to Alcatel. Alcatel is building the high power, high reliability, wavelength stabilized undersea pump modules.
Product features of the new high performance 980 nm module include output powers of 100 mW and an operating temperature range from 0o to 43o C. Under these conditions, the predicted failure rate has been demonstrated at less than one percent over 25 years of operation. This is approximately five times better than the reliability required for terrestrial deployment. As a result of these reliability tests, SDL and Alcatel are enabling submarine systems to increase their wavelength channel counts to 32 and beyond. To date, the highest undersea system channel counts deployed have been 16 channels.
``It is important to note both the significance of the work and the scale of testing involved,' said Donald R. Scifres, SDL's chairman and chief executive officer. ``We believe that the SDL pump laser, coupled with the Alcatel module, represents the highest power, highest reliability submarine-qualified 980 nm pump available. In addition, we believe that the numbers of lasers tested and the scale of the testing procedures is simply unmatched by any competitor. Finally, the understanding gained in this testing has allowed us to rapidly develop a revolutionary new pump chip, the SDL 6540, in which we believe a 50 percent increase in output power will be achieved with no degradation in reliability. The SDL 6540 is expected to enter into full qualification in the fourth quarter of 1999, with shipments for terrestrial deployment planned in early 2000.'
Jean-Marie Vansteenkiste, Alcatel optronics activity's chairman and chief executive officer added, ``This project and partnership with SDL is further evidence of Alcatel's commitment to being the industry leader in submarine components. We believe that our module, with the SDL chip, offers the best combination of high power and submarine reliability in the industry. We are pleased that this pump module will now enable deployment of 32 channel undersea DWDM systems.'
Statements in this press release which are not historical including statements regarding SDL's or management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations, representations, projections, plans or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include statements regarding increased use of DWDM undersea transmission systems, technology and market share leadership, the power, reliability, performance and production ramp of the 980 nm chips and fiber Bragg gratings, expected power, reliability, performance and qualification of the SDL 6540 and the anticipated shipments of this product in early 2000. It is important to note that the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the company's inability to achieve the expected power and reliability levels in commercial production quantities, qualification or manufacturing problems for the SDL 6540 and the risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports including but not limited to, the annual report on Form 10-K and 10-K/A for the year ended January 1, 1999, and the quarterly report on Forms 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1999.
SDL's products power the transmission of data, voice and Internet information over fiber optic networks to meet the needs of telecommunications, dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), cable television and satellite communications applications. They enable customers to meet the bandwidth needs of increasing Internet, data, video and voice traffic by expanding their fiber optic communications networks much more quickly and efficiently than would be possible using conventional electronic and optical technologies. SDL's optical products also serve a variety of non-communications applications, including materials processing and printing. Additional information about SDL, Inc. is available on the Internet at www.sdli.com .
Alcatel optronics activity markets a full range of optoelectronic devices and solutions for fiber optic communications. Operating state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in France, it is a leading supplier of high performance laser and photo detector modules, optical amplifiers and other integrated optoelectronic modules with particular emphasis on components for high bit- rate and DWDM systems. Additional information about Alcatel is available on the Internet at www.alcatel.com .
For more information on SDL, Inc. at no cost, please call 800-PRO-INFO (U.S.) or 908-544-2850 (Int'l), ticker SDLI.
SOURCE: SDL, Inc.
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A few appropriate links:
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alcatel.com
alcatel.com
alcatel.com
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