I see you've solved the patent diagram problem, where and how to post it. I'd like to think in terms of removing those elements which are environmental only, such as the temperature solving components, and focusing on the mod/demod principles almost exclusively. How much of the environmental solutions are germane to what makes the SR approach unique, in your opinion? All in the interest of drilling down to the heart of the matter.
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As a slightly off topic piece of information and AFC company news, the following is a PR which talks a little about erbium doped amplifiers, and what they claim is a breakthrough in this space.
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AFC's SmartAmp Products Provide Turn-Key Terabit
Solution for Optical Networking
March 8, 1999
Manufacturers of DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division
Multiplexing)systems and network elements such as
Add/Drop multiplexers, optical cross-connects, switches
and routers will see their product development time
much shortened while obtaining a terabit bandwidth
performance thanks to the new released
SmartAmp(tm) products from AFC Technologies
Inc.
After being the first to introduce Double Band Fiber
Amplifier (DBFA) which breaks the conventional
EDFA bandwidth barrier for DWDM systems by
offering a total of 75 nm bandwidth for terabit
transmission at OFC'98, AFC Technologies Inc.
revealed last week at OFC'99 (San Diego, CA), a
series of SmartAmp(tm) amplifier products for the
ever emerging optical networking market.
At the heart of SmartAmp(tm) product, is AFC's
proprietary and matured DBFA technology, which
offers the breakthrough high efficiency amplification
doubling the conventional DWDM transmission
capacity. DBFA is now equipped with intelligent
computerized elements for control and monitoring,
to feature fast response for add/drop, active and
accurate gain control and high dynamic range for
accommodating weak or strong signals from single
or hundreds channels.
Optical amplifier is the enabler of DWDM
transmission. Although a recent technology, it has
become very fast an element that today and
tomorrow's optical networking can not afford to
overpass. However, conventional amplifier products
used to be a "gain block", operating within 35 nm of
Erbium Doped fiber bandwidth, containing especially
optical components.
"New generation of optical networks needs optical
amplifiers more than just a gain block", according to
Dr. Dan Yang, Chief Technology Officer. "Add/drop
multiplexers, cross-connects, routers, optical
switches, WDM inline repeaters... they all need
amplification to compensate loss, but this
amplification is not more in a fixed environment,
which has been the case for single channel
SONET/SDH systems," said Dr. Yang.
In a multi-channel transport system, whether the
network is configured point-to-point, single or
multiple rings, optical signal level may change from
a tenth of micro-watt, to several tens of mili-watts, a
magnitude of ten thousand times. Channel numbers
requiring amplification can vary from one to
hundreds. Even direction of signal propagation can
switch suddenly 180 degree, to bypass a fiber cut
for example. How the amplifier is going to handle
thousands of different situations and still keep its
optimum performance, such as flat response to all
channels, will determine the overall network
performance. It's obvious that just amplification is no
more enough. A piece of gain fiber pumped by a
laser, this primitive amplifier era is over.
"With SmartAmp(tm) in hand, network developers
will see their design and development time
drastically shortened as different situations are
handled already by the smart amplifier. At the same
time a doubled operating window is theirs to
accommodate hundreds of channels for terabit
transmission," Yang added. As networks are
becoming more and more complex, how fast system
and network element manufacturers can finish their
design and put their product in the market, this will
determine their position in the optical networking
market.
About AFC Technologies Inc.
AFC Technologies Inc., founded in 1996, is a
privately owned, Ottawa-based fast growing
company specialized in broadband amplifier
technology. Winner of Canadian Grand Prize for
Technology Innovation (1997), the company is
known to be a pioneer in DWDM amplifier for terabit
networking. Its customers include most of major
telecom equipment and component manufacturers in
North America, Europe and Asia-pacific. More
information can be found by visiting company's web
site www.afctek.com
CONTACT: AFC Technologies Inc. | Stephen Cline |
Tel: (819) 776 - 6884 | Fax: (819) 776 - 6808 | Email:
scline@afctek.com
|
