This week at OFC 2023 (March 5-9) in San Diego, Seoul-based POINTek, Inc., a global provider of high performance athermal AWGs (AAWGs) and optical module packaging services, announced the release of its new low profile AAWG brick and low profile AAWG module, with a 1/2 inch height housing in which the new low Profile AAWG brick is mounted (Figure 1).
An athermal AWG [Arrayed Waveguide Grating] is a multi-port optical filter that has a large number of waveguides in an array. Launched in 2000 with the goal of developing advanced Planar Optical Waveguide Technology, POINTek specializes in packaging and manufacturing AAWG based DWDM optical device products and other optical specialty products. The new low profile AAWG bricks, based on POINTek's small form factor (SFF) design, can enable more efficient hardware for the various high density fiber management chassis frames which are installed in the densely occupied facilities such as data centers.
POINTek says its new Low Profile AAWG brick product exhibits an 8 mm vertical height which can be successfully mounted into a low profile AAWG module package with 1/2 inch in total height. It is designed to have very small form factor (VSFF) duplex connector interfaces, so that (48) DWDM channel ports can be placed in the 140mm-width front panel AAWG module package. The low profile AAWG modules can be mounted into a cassette pluggable for a high-density fiber management chassis.
Dr. T.H. Rhee, CEO of POINTek, explained:
"This new Low Profile AAWG brick with SFF footprint is a good solution for the high-density rack frame environment such as the data centers where three thin cassettes or trays can be stacked in a 1RU chassis.
These thin cassettes or trays require the low-profile modules with 1/2-inch height to be plugged or mounted inside. Our new Low Profile AAWG module with VSFF duplex connector interfaces can support customer's unique operational environments optimally.
We are launching these new low profile AAWG modules for meeting the emerging broadband infrastructure deployment market trend that demands high-density fiber management solution as well as those products suitable for broadband expansion in today's data centers."
Since 2018, POINTek has expanded its AAWG application technology from legacy DWDM networks to OSP connectivity such as 5G wireless fronthaul platforms, and with the new product offering is bringing the AAWG application to ISP data centers.
Dr. Donald Yu, CMO of POINTek, who runs the company's global marketing operations from southern California, commented:
"We are the earliest change maker for the new technology adopters in the market where the VSFF connector interfaces will be needed. POINTek has led the technological trend in the past decades by releasing the world first AAWGs for the WDM-PON deployment in 2004 as well as the world first 5G wireless fronthaul deployment in 2018, and we adopted the newest connector interface system into our new AAWG platform and now we are introducing the new Low Profile AAWG product.
We are now focusing AAWG application in both OSP and ISP. POINTek's expertise in optical packaging technology allows us to develop all types of customized AAWGs. We have our own creative expertise to design AAWG's greater and far-reaching performance, meeting the application-specific customer requirements and their satisfaction. And we still keep advancing our optical packaging idea to the new market trends."
Visit http://www.pointekinc.com.
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