Feb 26 2008
JDSU today announced that is has invented the first nano wavelength selective switch (WSS) technology. The Nano WSS includes technology extracted from JDSU’s core Mini WSS technology, and will enable JDSU to develop denser and more highly integrated optical solutions, such as the AON Superblade, a single-slot blade solution that JDSU also announced today.
Network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) and service providers are looking for new optical solutions that allow them to more efficiently manage optical traffic in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks, as bandwidth demands increase from the use of voice, video and data applications among consumers. Over the past five years, WSS technology has been used in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) to allow NEMs and service providers to dynamically and remotely manage network traffic in ultra long haul, long haul and metro DWDM networks.
To create the Nano WSS, JDSU designers took a creative development approach that freed them from the physical limitations and interfaces that typically define optical modules. As a result, designers were able to leverage core WSS functionality from JDSU’s Mini WSS solution to create nano blocks for the new optical switching solution.
The first application of JDSU’s Nano WSS will be within JDSU’s AON Superblade, a single-slot blade solution that will integrate all of the major functions required for optical transport, including the Nano WSS. The Nano WSS is so small that it allows designers to utilize surrounding space within the new blade for other critical optical technology, maximizing every square millimeter of space.
As with existing WSS technology, the Nano WSS will have the flexibility to support traffic in network nodes requiring greater than two dimensions, and provides colorless routing and switching, or the ability to direct wavelengths in several directions instead of in just a single direction. NEMs and service providers are moving towards meshed networks that allow for wavelengths to travel in several directions in order to support increased bandwidth demands.
“JDSU’s Nano WSS unlocks the potential for even more innovative and integrated solutions that redefine how optical components work within DWDM networks,” said Dave Nicholson, senior director of Research & Development for Optical Communications at JDSU. “JDSU’s Nano WSS will help push the limits about how the industry thinks of optical solutions in terms of their size, performance, cost and power efficiency.”
The Nano WSS measures 100 x 75 x 18 mm and it will support network data rates for 10 gigabytes per second (G) to 40G and beyond.
JDSU Nano WSS technology will be displayed within the AON Superblade exhibit at JDSU Booth #2021 during the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC) and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (NFOEC) in San Diego, CA from February 26 – 28, 2008.