Posted to News on 17th Sep 2021, 00:00
Yokogawa launches extreme precision optical spectrum analyser
Yokogawa has launched a new optical spectrum analyser (OSA) designed to offer the extreme high precision demanded by researchers developing the next generation of optical communication components.
With the exponential growth in the Internet of Things, as well as cloud computing services, video broadcasting and conferencing, and the rise in access to mobile broadband, demand for data capacity will expand hugely over the next few years. High capacity optical backhaul networks will be needed to serve this growing traffic density. Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) is an optical multiplexing technology used to increase bandwidth over the existing fibre network.
As data hungry applications push the performance requirements of DWDM systems, telecommunication channels become ever more closely spaced, making it more difficult to separate the individual channels in the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) analysis on an OSA.
Yokogawa claims the AQ6380 OSA offers unequalled optical performance to allow engineers and scientists to develop and improve the speed, bandwidth and quality of the next generation of communication networks, while its ease of use ensures it can be operated quickly and efficiently.
“The AQ6380 is demonstrably the world’s best grating based OSA, outperforming its nearest competing solution on wavelength accuracy, resolution, dynamic range, and actual measurement speed,” says Terry Marrinan, Yokogawa Test & Measurement’s vice president of marketing.
“The new product also offers a highly capable alternative to other measurement technologies, comparing favourably on wavelength range and actual dynamic range, and offering superior measurement speed and application adaptability, as well as a highly competitive price.”
The AQ6380 has an optical wavelength resolution down to 5 picometers (pm), allowing optical signals in close proximity to be clearly separated and accurately measured. With the AQ6380, waveforms that were previously not even visible in a typical OSA, such as modulation side peaks in the laser spectrum, can now be accurately visualised.
It also offers a wavelength range of 1200 to 1650 nm, allowing one unit to meet diverse wavelength measurement needs. With the ability to alter the wavelength resolution from 5 pm to 2 nm, a wide range of applications can be supported, from narrowband peak/notch measurements to wideband spectral measurements.
