Technical Insight
Agere wins 980 nm pump laser contract (Fiber News)
TyCom, a leading network provider, has selected Agere s new 980 nm pump lasers for use in its undersea optical amplifiers. Valued at $70 million over the next 12 months, the contract is part of a three-year agreement signed earlier this year. This called for Agere to supply optical components for TyCom s Global Network project, the first phase of which is expected to span 90 000 km and provide capacity in excess of 1 Tbit/s to more than 30 major cities around the world. Agere will supply its new LP200 pump, an uncooled 980 nm FabryPerot laser with external fiber Bragg grating wavelength stabilization. The GaAs-based device offers an output of 200 mW to pump an EDFA, and requires a drive current of 350 mA. New 1480 nm Raman pump Agere has introduced what it claims to be the industry s first pump laser for Raman amplification in undersea networks. The SLR250 (see above) is an uncooled, high-power Fabry-Perot laser stabilized with an external fiber Bragg grating, which ensures a smaller wavelength shift due to fluctuations in operating temperature. The InP-based laser is available in 1480 nm and other 14xx nm wavelengths, and supports a fiber output power of up to 250 mW. Currently sampling, the new pump is expected to enter production in early 2002 (see ). "Agere s long-term focus on undersea components provides devices with excellent reliability," said spokesperson Stefan Rochus. "Agere has shipped more than 40 000 of its 980 nm pump lasers for submerged applications, and has accumulated more than 132 million hours of service without one failure."
