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Temperature-hardened and Low-drift Athermal AWGs for All Season Any Temperature
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‌Mar. 01, 2018

POINTek, Inc., a global leader and provider of high performance athermal AWGs (AAWGs) and optical module packaging services, announced the greater and popular acceptance of temperature hardened AWGs that are good for DWDM applications in the extreme temperature operating environment such as -40°C ~ 85°C.

Conventional athermal AWGs are designed to support a total of 60pm or larger wavelength drift, which amounts to compensation of 0.5pm/°C shift within in the operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C. In POINTek's low-drift high-performing AAWG which is based on a new IP-pending optical packaging technology capitalizing on previous PCT-registered athermalization patent, POINTek's refined and innovative packaging technique is fully utilized, allowing only 20pm or less wavelength-drift which is equivalent to merely 0.15pm/°C shift; hence, this high-performing AAWG can sufficiently withstand the industrial temperature operational range of -40°C ~ 85°C. 

"The conventional 60pm wavelength-drift over the range of -40°C ~ 85°C versus only 20pm drift accounts for increase in about 70% temperature-induced wavelength drift control under any operational temperature. POINTek's temperature-hardened AAWG is the result of continuing improvement of POINTek's athermalization technology and packaging process. We have been sharpening our packaging technique for manufacturing Temperature-hardened And Low-drift Athermal AWGs as the DWDM user community is getting ready for using a greater DWDM channel support beyond 50 GHz at the rate of 100G up to 400G," according to Dr. TH Rhee, CEO of POINTek. "Our temperature-hardened AAWGs can support 25Ghz C-band DWDM. No commercial AAWG with 0.15pm/°C shift performance over the range of -40°C ~ 85°C with only the total 20pm shift is available from any AWG vendor on the optical Mux/DeMux markets today.  Our AWG is effectively a new class of AAWG called Super AWG," Rhee adds.

Since January 2004, POINTek has released its own athermalization IP-based AAWG products, starting from 16 CH AAWG in all type of spectral characteristics.  Presently, POINTek manufactures and markets globally all custom type AAWGs in multiple  channels (e.g., 40CH, 44CH, 48CH, 80CH, 88CH, and 96CH), spectrum (e.g., Gaussian, Semi-flat, Flat-top, and Super flat-top), channel spacing (200GHz, 100GHz, 75GHz, and 50GHz), band (C-band, L-band, dual C/L cyclic bands), connectors (LC/PC, LC/APC, SC/nPC, and MPO),  optional features (e.g., internal or external monitoring TAP port, OSC port, etc.), package configuration (in brick or in chassis), and unique (e.g., comb filters) or special customized requirements (e.g., one-half MUX and one-half DMX in one brick).
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‌"POINTek has been selling globally athermal AWG-based filters in different spectrum types and channels including WDM-PON enabling dual-band filters in various customer-specific form factors.  We are selling not only temperature hardened AAWG for 1G~100 G data transport but also selling ultra-wide super-flat top AAWG capable of supporting up to 400G data transport on any DWDM channel," according to Dr. Donald Yu, CMO of POINTek, who runs global marketing operations from Los Angeles, California. Yu explains that POINTek's broad yet specialized optical packaging technology enables us to manufacture all types of customized AAWGs for Passive Optical Networks DWDM MUX/DMX applications in data center operations and temperature sensitive Outside Plant operations and as POINTek's athermalization technology is quite well suited for controlling and optimizing temperature-induced wavelength- shift up to 25GHz channel spacing.  "Now, we have refined our optical packaging know-hows to the Super AAWG level of precision," Yu adds.
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‌To date since 2002, POINTek has deployed more than 99,000 AAWG units globally. The temperature-hardened, low-drift   AAWG with the -40°C extended temperature application will be marketed aggressively through partnership companies in East Asia and EU after its success in the North America. POINTek management will be present at the coming OFC2018 Show exhibit floor, booth 4521.

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